One of the Crew
by Sand-wolf579
Summary: After the Storm King's defeat, Capper decided to join Captain Celaeno's crew. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm seriously fond of Capper as a character. He has an interesting story that I wish they had brushed up on in the movie. And, you know, the fact that he's a non-pony male character is always cool. Am I the only one that wants to see more guy characters in My Little Pony? I just want more variety in general. That's part of the reason why I'm looking forward to watching season 8, though I am still slightly disappointed that 4 out of the 6 main school kids are girls. Why can't it be an even 3 and 3? Why couldn't the hippogriff be a boy too, as the only hippogriff characters we've met so far have all been girls.**

* * *

Capper had never been to Equestria before, though he had heard plenty of stories about the place. One tended to hear a lot of stories when living on the streets, and if they were like Capper, who had always dreamed of settling down and not having to fight just to survive, one would take mental notes of the more fantastical places they heard about, just in case the opportunity ever came up to escape to said land.

Equestria had always been talked about in such a way that even though Capper knew that it was real, he couldn't help but think of it as a made-up fantasy land. There were so many stories about Equestria, but they all seemed to agree on how peaceful a place it was. That wasn't to say that Equestria didn't attract its fair share of trouble, because that was probably the second thing that the stories agreed on, but it was peaceful in the sense that the ponies that lived there got along with each other and lived in harmony.

Capper had never really cared for the stories about how friendly and loving the Equestrians were, because he just hadn't believed it. It didn't matter what the species was, there was always going to be some kind of prejudice or dispute going on

 _Always._

And considering Equestria seemed to have three different species, all extremely powerful in their own way, Capper would have thought it nothing short of a miracle if it turned out to be true that the ponies could all get along with each other without their differences getting in the way.

Needless to say, he was extremely surprised when he not only got the chance to meet several ponies from Equestria, but he got to see that they were all close friends, despite their species. Of course, this surprise was blown right out of the water when Capper witnessed for himself just how kind-hearted and generous the ponies could be. In all Capper's life, he had never met anybody so trusting and gentle. Especially not towards a species that wasn't their own.

Capper had been so touched by the courage and kindness of these little ponies that he had changed his ways to help them. Capper had been a thief and a con-man all his life. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but it was all he knew, and it was what he was good at. Besides, he had learned his lesson about trusting others and wanting to do the right thing. It just ended with you getting stabbed in the back and abandoned by the ones you had trusted.

Capper had accepted that everybody in this life was only out to take care of themselves. That if he wanted something from life, he had to take it. He couldn't just wait for things to be handed to him. But then, those ponies had come along and Capper realized that there were creatures out there who were putting the safety of others above their own. And then there were those pirates, and Princess Skystar, all of them were willing to risk their lives for a couple of strangers, just because of a couple of seemingly meaningless acts of kindness

Maybe there really could be more to life than just watching out for yourself.

It had actually felt pretty incredible to play a part in saving Equestria, and Capper still didn't understand why. It just didn't make sense how he would start to feel all warm inside whenever he thought about how he had put his own neck on the line to help somebody else with a problem that had nothing to do with him. It felt good though, and Capper believed that it was because he felt, no, he _knew_ that it was worth putting himself in harm's way for these little ponies, because they would do the same thing for him.

...at least, he hoped that they would, but he wasn't going to linger on those doubts. It was much nicer to just trust his friends. He had almost forgotten what deep trust felt like.

"Well, you look deep in thought." Capper's ears twitched at the unexpected playful tone, he had thought he had been alone. He turned to see Captain Celaeno coming towards him. "Care to share?"

"I was just thinking about how I never thought I would be here." Capper looked towards the large castle before he went back to looking out over the balcony that he had been leaning against for awhile now.

"Yeah, me neither." Celaeno chuckled and joined him at the balcony. "I've heard a lot of things about Canterlot and Equestria, but I've never actually come here." Their location hadn't actually been what Capper had been talking about, but it was how he had meant for her to interpret his words. While Capper had never been to Equestria before, he found it much more miraculous how he had found himself in a situation where he was starting to think that maybe the whole world wasn't out to get him. However, Celaeno didn't need to know all that, so Capper had left his words cryptic on purpose.

"It's everything the stories said it was." Capper said.

"And more." Celaeno nodded with a smirk. "It's even worse than I thought."

Capper let out a short burst of laughter. Thank goodness he wasn't the only one who had had a less than fantastic experience. "And here I thought that I was the only one who thinks that these ponies should work on their welcoming committee."

"Are you kidding me?" Celaeno's eyes widened playfully. "I've lost track of how many ponies have asked me if I'm some kind of deformed griffin."

"No." Capper groaned, though he knew she wasn't lying. These ponies needed to get out and learn more about the rest of the world. If they didn't even recognize what an Ornithian looked like, then they definitely needed some educating. "Do they also think that griffins are just lions that mutated with birds?" Griffins looked like a mix between a lion and a bird, but they were their own creature. It was just sad how unaware of the rest of the world these ponies were. It was as though they thought they were the center of the universe.

"Yeah, it wasn't fun." Celaeno shook her head. "I had to send Boyle to get supplies before he decided to take it upon himself to 'educate' these ponies."

"I would have paid money to see that." Capper said slyly, because these ponies needed to learn how to respect unfamiliar creatures.

"Honestly, so would I." Celaeno admitted. "But I don't think it would be a good first impression. Just because _they're_ acting like animals doesn't mean that we should." Celaeno shook her head and sighed. "What about you?"

Capper scowled and glared slightly out over the balcony. "...Somebody thought that I was a pet." His fur stood on end at the very thought.

"Are you serious?" Celaeno asked in a quiet, dangerous tone. It made Capper feel slightly better that she understood just why he was bothered by this.

"I'm completely serious." Capper said. "They didn't even ask me, they asked _Rarity."_ They had barely acknowledged him at all, like he wasn't even worthy of being spoken to.

"What did she do?" Celaeno asked cautiously, as though she was afraid to hear the answer.

Capper smirked. "Oh, she gave them a fierce talking to. They looked like they were about ready to crawl under a rock by the time she was through with them."

"Well, at least _some_ ponies have decency." Celaeno huffed. "I can't believe these ponies. Friendship and acceptance my tailfeathers." Capper completely agreed. Apparently ponies were only accepting of creatures that they were familiar with. It was nice to know that there were at least some exceptions, but generally speaking Capper wasn't about to go around befriending any more ponies.

"Rarity told me that they hadn't meant any harm." Capper said. "She said that plenty of Equestrians have pet cats, and that some of the more well off ponies like to have pets that are more 'exotic'."

"I don't care how much they want to show off, a line needs to be drawn somewhere." Celaeno said, and Capper was, once again, relieved that she seemed to share his exact opinions on the matter. "Let's just hope none of these ponies find themselves at Klugetown, or Verko will find himself some prime customers."

Capper nodded in agreement before he realized just what Celaeno had said. "Wait just a second," He looked at her in slight shock. "How do you know Verko?" Capper knew that Verko was well-known in Klugetown, but not really anywhere else. And many of the creatures who did know of Verko only thought that he was a crime-boss. How did Celaeno know about his hobby of buying and selling unique treasures and creatures?

"Before we were forced to work for the Storm King, I was a regular customer of his." Celaeno said. "Whenever we could afford it, I would buy creatures off of him and invite them to join my crew. If they weren't interested, I took them back to their homes."

Capper was stunned. He knew how greedy Verko was, and how hard a time some creatures had to buy even the simplest of beasts from him, because the rat's prices were extremely steep. Capper couldn't believe that Celaeno, who already had a full crew to take care of, would go out of her way to save a stranger from a life of pain and/or humiliation, and she hadn't even expected anything in return. She had just done it because she had thought it was the right thing to do.

Capper wondered for a second if he had just had extremely bad luck in his life up to this point, to not encounter anybody who cared the least bit about anybody else, and then poof, all of a sudden he knows about a dozen of them. Why couldn't his luck just chose something casual and normal, and then stick with it?

"So, what about you?" Celaeno asked curiously, though not in a pushy way. "How do _you_ know Verko?" Capper felt his tail twitch ever so slightly at the question. He didn't like to think about his situation with Verko, and he didn't like telling other people about his business. Still, Celaeno had shared with him, so Capper figured he owed her the same.

"I, uh, may owe him some money?" Capper said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Celaeno looked unhappy with his answer, though not surprised. "How much?"

If Capper was completely honest with himself, he didn't have a clue. Especially since Verko kept on coming up with new ways to increase his debt. And after the stunt that the ponies had pulled back in Klugetown, he wouldn't be surprised if his debt had doubled. "Let's just say 'a lot' and leave it at that." Capper finally said. Whatever his debt amounted to at this point, it was likely enough that he should probably consider avoiding Klugetown for the next little bit...or forever.

"So I guess you're not really in a rush to get back to Klugetown?" Celaeno asked, though she probably knew that it wasn't a necessary question.

"No, not really." Capper knew that he would likely be in a world of trouble with Verko if he ignored his debt for too long, but he really wasn't ready to accept what Verko had in store for him.

"Do you know where you're going to go, then?" Celaeno asked. Capper opened his mouth to answer when he realized that he didn't _know._ He hadn't thought of where he would go. He had only ever lived in two places. Abyssinia, and Klugetown. Obviously, Klugetown wasn't an option. He could return to Abyssinia, except he had heard that the kingdom had really suffered after the Storm King had attacked. It had been really tough to live on the streets of Abyssinia in the first place, and that had been with somebody at his side to help him. Now though, when he was by himself and the kingdom was in economic ruin? It wasn't even an option.

"I...don't know." Capper said uneasily.

"Well, my offer still stands." Celaeno said.

"Offer?" Capper tilted his head in confusion.

"You don't remember?" Celaeno smirked slightly. "When I found you and your friend stowing away on the ship that I stole from the Storm King," Capper's chest panged at the memory. Anything that reminded him of his so called 'friend' just hurt. He had to force himself to put those feelings aside and listen to Celaeno's words, because she was still talking. "I invited you two to join my crew. And, as I said, the offer still stands."

Capper looked at the parrot in shock for a few moments. "...are you serious?"

"Absolutely." Celaeno said. "I'm always looking for new crewmates. Especially now, since my crew has been a little short handed."

"Actually, I was wondering about that." Capper frowned slightly. "I thought that there were a lot more than five of you." Capper hadn't thought about his short encounter with the pirates for a long time, but now he was fairly certain that there had been dozens of pirates.

Celaeno sighed. "The Storm King forced us to work for him, but he didn't need all of us on one ship, so he split us up."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Capper's ears tilted back. He didn't know how much Celaeno cared about her crew, but he could hear the pain in her voice. Obviously, it hurt her a lot to be separated from the rest of her crew.

"It's alright," Celaeno took a deep breath. "We'll get them all back again. The question is, do you want to come with us?"

Capper thought for a few moments. He didn't really know if he wanted to be a pirate, but it wasn't as though he had anywhere else to go. Just a few days ago, if Capper had been asked if he would like to be a part of another team, he would have refused without hesitation. He had trusted somebody with his life before, and just look where that got him. Neck deep in debt that he had no hope of ever paying off.

But these had been some very eventful couple of days. Capper had seen for himself that there were creatures out there who would do anything for their friends, for their teammates, and he realized that he wanted that. He wanted that trust and camaraderie. He wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than himself.

He wanted to have friends... _real_ friends who wouldn't betray and abandon him for something better. Friends that he could trust, that would trust him in return.

"Yeah," Capper found himself saying. He met Celaeno's eyes and grinned ever so slightly. "Yeah, I think I do."

Celaeno's eyes sparked. She held out a hand, which Capper accepted with his paw. "Welcome to the crew, Capper."


	2. Chapter 2

Celaeno was not a huge fan of Canterlot, or even just Equestria in general. The longer she and her crew were there for, but more awkward the ponies got around them. Celaeno could see that they were trying to be as accepting as they knew how, but things were still ridiculous and tense at times. If it was possible, she would have taken her crew and sailed away from there the moment that things started to calm down from the Storm King's attack.

But, considering they didn't really have a sky ship of their own anymore, that really wasn't an option.

Celaeno was extremely grateful that Rainbow Dash had explained their circumstances to the princesses. As stuck up and judgemental as some of the little ponies were, the princesses were nothing but gracious. They didn't even seem to be surprised at the kind of creatures that had helped them out. The Princesses, to show their gratitude, had said that they wanted to gift Celaeno and her crew with a new ship. Celaeno more than appreciated the gift, she just didn't like how it wouldn't be ready to fly off for a few days.

There were a couple of bright sides to being stuck in Canterlot though. It gave her crew a chance to stretch the wings a bit, get back into their natural mindsets. Mullet, Celaeno's first mate, was extremely passionate about ships and sailing, while Squabble loved to tinker around with things. The two of them were having a blast helping the local ponies fix the brand new ship up so it would be airworthy for more than just a few circles around a mountain.

Lix Spittle and Boyle were willing to help out with the ship when they needed to, but they both prefered to scheme against the snobbish Canterlot ponies. Celaeno knew that this was just their way to deal with their frustrations, and they wouldn't really do anything malicious towards any of the ponies...well, at least, she really hoped they wouldn't.

Maybe it would be safest for Celaeno to give Lix and Boyle something else to get their minds off of their scheming revenge plans against the ponies, but just so long as they didn't act on any of these plans, she didn't have a problem with it. Especially since they had started to include Capper in their planning.

Celaeno was relieved to see Capper get along with the rest of the crew. He talked about the greatest treasures he had ever stolen with Boyle. Lix had been showing Capper, who was apparently even less educated than any of them were, how to read a map while Mullet would show him how to read the stars every night. Capper even got along fine with Squabble, even though he had admitted that he couldn't understand what a single one of his squawks meant. Despite the verbal barriers, Capper treated Squabble with just as much respect as he did anybody else on the crew, which Celaeno really appreciated. Most other creatures took one look at Squabble with his crossed eyes and false beak, and they assumed that he was an idiot. It was a real weight off of Celaeno's back that Capper didn't seem to think that way.

Actually, Celaeno was just relieved in general that Capper was getting along with her crew. He had seemed reluctant to join them in the first place, though Celaeno didn't take it personally. She had watched his interactions with the Canterlot ponies, and even their little pony friends like Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and he seemed to be just as reluctant to be around any of them as he had been to join the team. Capper was good at pretending that he didn't have any doubts and that he was nervous or scared, but in just the past few days Celaeno had noticed a number of little chinks in his armor.

Capper was a suave guy, probably one of the most charming creatures Celaeno had ever met. She knew that he was sincere about a lot of it, that it was just the way that he was, but she had also noticed that he somehow got more charming when he felt nervous. Celaeno had also noticed the way that his ears and tail twitched when he felt cornered, and the way his fur stood on end.

And, of course, there were the dozens of times that Celaeno had caught Capper grimacing, the emotions completely clear on his face, when he was dragged into a friendly conversation and he thought nobody was looking. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. Capper was nervous about getting close to anybody. And in Celaeno's experience, the creatures who were most cautious about others were those who had been hurt before because they had let their guard down.

Throw in the fact that Celaeno was sure that Capper had not been this way when she had found him and his buddy stowing away on a ship that her crew had stolen, and the fact that said buddy was nowhere to be seen, it really didn't paint a pretty picture. Celaeno had an idea about what had happened, but she didn't ask about it, because it wasn't her place. If Capper wanted her to know, he would tell her. In the meantime, she would respect his privacy and hope that someday he would trust the crew.

It took longer than Celaeno was entirely comfortable with, but after what felt like forever, even though it was just a day more than what was promised, their new skyship was finally ready for them. Mullet was satisfied that the ship would be able to fly long distances without a problem, and both he and Squabble were happy with their personal additions. And if they were happy with the ship, then Celaeno was happy with it. Especially since it was finally ready and they could go back to being pirates without any more delays.

When Celaeno stepped onto the deck of their ship as they got ready to head out, she felt as though a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She hadn't realized just how lost she had been without her ship. Of course, things weren't perfect yet. They were still missing the rest of their crew, and this ship wasn't exactly like the one they had lost. It would take Celaeno time to warm up to the new ship, and to find her lost crewmates. They also needed to replace the supplies and treasures that had been destroyed along with their original ship.

There was no way for Celaeno to know how long those first two things would take, but she _could_ control when they restocked. It wasn't a lot, but it was a step in the right direction. And hopefully once they got ship broken in it would start to feel like home. Fortunately, Celaeno knew just where to start.

"Alright, scallywags, here's the plan." Celaeno said the very moment they were all on the deck of the ship. Mullet and Squabble were busy getting ready to ship out, but Celaeno knew that her first mate already knew what the plan was, and that he would explain it to Squabble later. And, really, Boyle and Capper were the only ones who absolutely needed to know what was going on.

"Rainbow Dash said that there's a large city just outside Equestria. I don't know what the name of the city is, and I don't care. What matters is that the city is at the base of an abandoned dragon mountain, and you know what that means?" Celaeno looked meaningfully at Boyle, who smirked wickedly.

"Gemstones." Boyle looked extremely eager, as he always was when they went to territories that were near old dragon caves. Dragons loved gemstones, and they always knew where to find them. It wasn't very often that dragons left their caves, but when it _did_ happen, they left their usually left their hoard behind too. These abandoned caves attracted creatures to it, and more often than not cities and towns were built near these caves. Unsurprisingly, these cities were usually economically well off, even if it had been many generations since the town had been founded.

And the richest creatures in these towns always, without fail, had a small collection of these gemstones, just sitting around because they wanted to show off their wealth. These creatures were always more proud than intelligent, and they were some of Boyle's favorite thieving victims.

"I'll leave the gemstones to you." Celaeno trusted that Boyle knew exactly what to do. He was a pro at stealing from private collections. "We should get there around dawn. In the meantime, Boyle, show Capper the ropes. He'll be helping you."

"Haven't had an assistant in awhile." Boyle chuckled as he slung an arm around Capper's shoulder, which made the cat stiffen ever so slightly. "This should be fun. Capper's been running his mouth so much. I think it's high time he puts his money where his mouth is."

Celaeno frowned when she saw Capper's ears twitch. That was a tell of how uncomfortable he felt. She just didn't know if he was uncomfortable because Boyle was getting physical with him, or if he didn't like the conversation was going. Celaeno had no idea which was the case, and Capper didn't say anything to tell her.

It really bothered Celaeno that Capper was visibly uncomfortable and she didn't know why, but there wasn't a lot she could do about it. Not when he was so reluctant to open up to them. And at that moment she couldn't focus her attention on getting him to trust them. Not when there was so much work that needed to get done.

After their little visit to the city though, Celaeno wouldn't rest until she figured out just what was going on with her newest crewmate.

The next morning they arrived at their destination a little earlier than they had initially suspected. Celaeno and Lix Spittle went to stock up on provisions, because it turned out that Canterlot didn't stock the kind of food that was meant to last for as long as a few weeks. Mullet was usually the one went with Lix Spittle to get the provisions, as part of her job was to prepare most of their meals, and part of his job was to keep stock of everything they had on board. In this particular instance though, Mullet had a few more supplies that he needed to pick up, and he was taking Squabble along with him.

Celaeno and Lix Spittle took their time getting provisions, though they also didn't stall or linger. There was no need for them to look like they were in a rush, or a hurry, because they weren't. Boyle knew how this kind of thing worked. He would wait, to give the rest of the crew time to get what they needed done, and then he would sneak in, snag a few gemstones from a few oblivious creatures, and sneak out. If things went well, and they usually did, they would be out of the city before anybody even realized that they had been swindled.

When Celaeno and Lix Spittle got their errands done they made their way back to the ship. Celaeno immediately noticed that Mullet and Squabble were already there. When Mullet saw them coming he immediately came to help load up the supplies that they had brought back.

"The others are back." Mullet told Celaeno in a low voice as he grabbed a bag of birdseed from one of the locals that Celaeno had hired to help them bring things back to the ship.

"Did they find what they were looking for?" Celaeno asked. She had no reason to doubt Boyle and Capper, but Mullet's tone didn't inspire a lot of confidence. He seemed concerned.

"I don't know." Mullet admitted. "Capper climbed out onto the bowsprit and he hasn't moved from there. And Boyle hasn't said a word."

Celaeno sighed. "I'll take care of it." Maybe it wasn't a good idea to team Capper with Boyle when she suspected that there was something seriously wrong with one of them, and she _knew_ that the other could be easily agitated when on the job. Now she might have to deal with damage control. The only thing she had going for her at that moment was that she knew that the boys hadn't been caught or seen, or else there would be more pressure for them to leave in a hurry.

Celaeno made her way up the gangplank and saw the boys herself. Capper was indeed lounging on the bowsprit. He looked casual and calm enough, but even from a distance Celaeno could see that his fur was poofier than it usually was. Something was making his fur stand on end.

And then there was Boyle at the aft of the ship. His shoulders were tense, and he looked agitated. Not quite in an angry way, but more like in a concerned and he didn't know what to do about it way. Celaeno could tell the difference, because both were extremely common with Boyle.

Celaeno was more concerned about Capper, but she knew that she would be more likely to get answers from Boyle, so she made her way to the aft of the ship.

"Good to see you two made it back okay." Celaeno leaned against the railing and crossed her arms. "How'd it go? Capper as good as his word?"

"You have no idea." Boyle grinned easily. "Oh, Captain, this cat has _skills."_

So the problem wasn't that Boyle had felt held back. That was good. "So what's the problem?"

Boyle began to fiddle with his hook. "He's a good thief, but he's been acting strange since yesterday." Celaeno should have known that Boyle would recognize that Capper was on edge. Boyle didn't look or act like it, but he was actually very observant when it came to emotions. He didn't always know how to fix or help with somebody's problems, but he was great with emotional support.

"I don't know if he wants to do this." Boyle said, and the statement just felt almost out of nowhere. Celaeno wanted to disagree with his observation, but she didn't even know what ' _this'_ Boyle was talking about, so she kept quiet and waited. "He kinda reminds me of Mullet."

Oh... _oh!_ "Really?" Celaeno's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't even considered that a possibility. Although, now that Boyle had mentioned it, it definitely made sense. "Are you sure?"

Boyle shrugged. "Not really." Celaeno was a little disappointed, but not surprised. Boyle was just making a guess, but at least it was more than what Celaeno had. And neither of them could really know for sure what was going on with Capper unless he told them himself, which he probably wasn't going to do on his own.

Celaeno put a hand on Boyle's arm. "You go help the others load the ship. I'll talk to Capper." As the captain, it was Celaeno's job to make sure her crew was taken care of, even if it meant forcing her newest crewmate who didn't trust her yet to trust her.

Boyle nodded, not even a shred of doubt in his eyes. It made Celaeno feel a bit more confident. It was a lot easier to do something when other people already believed that you could. She didn't really have a plan, but she was pretty okay with that. She had always been good at winging it anyways.

Celaeno took a deep breath, brushed some of her stray green feathers at the top of her head away from her eyes, and headed to the bow of the ship. As a captain, she needed to look like she was in completely control, because if she didn't look like she knew what she was doing, then her crew wouldn't trust her decisions.

"Hey, kitty," Celaeno walked onto the bowsprit. "Is there room for two up here?"

Capper looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course, Celaeno. Though, I must know, is there a reason behind this unexpected visit, or is it just my lucky day?" Celaeno barely kept herself from rolling her eyes, but she couldn't hide her grin. It was really astonishing how every word that came out of his mouth was sickeningly charming. Celaeno wondered if he was naturally this suave, or if he was just constantly expertly faking it.

"Actually, there were some things that I wanted to talk to you about." Celaeno admitted. She sat down next to her crewmate. "Is there something bothering you?"

Capper blinked and his ears twitched slightly, though Celaeno didn't know if it was because he was confused or on edge because of the question. She wasn't familiar enough with cats or Abyssinians to recognize what every single one of their twitches meant. "Not that _I_ can think of." Capper said slowly, and he sounded sincerely confused. If Celaeno wasn't already aware that Capper was a master at lying, she would probably believe that there really was nothing wrong with him.

As it was, Celaeno knew better than to take everything that Capper said at face value.

Celaeno considered telling Capper that Boyle was concerned about him. She considered reprimanding him, to get Capper to cooperate with her by making him think that if he did otherwise then he might jeopardize the rest of the crew. Celaeno ultimately decided against it, because Capper wasn't close enough to the crew yet to let them affect any decisions he made. Not yet.

After thinking about it for a moment Celaeno decided that if she couldn't come up with a strategy to deal with Capper, then she would just be completely forward with him. "Alright, here's the thing, we both know that there's something going on with you, so stop pretending that there's not." Capper's ears twitched again, this time his tail flicked as well. Celaeno was fairly certain that this meant that he was nervous about her question.

"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about." Capper said, and Celaeno nearly fell off the bowsprit when she heard his tone. What was _that?_ Celaeno had only ever heard Capper speak with complete confidence and control. Not with this hesitation and cracking voice. Celaeno could only think of one instance when she had heard Capper's voice sound like this, and that had been just before Tempest had destroyed her ship, when...when Tempest had caught him _in a lie._

Well, wasn't that interesting.

"I'm talking about how you agreed to steal some gemstones, even though you have no interest in being a thief anymore." Celaeno said it as though she knew it for sure, that this wasn't just an assumption that was based on a broad feeling that Boyle had. If she was wrong…

"I...what are you...that's crazy. I'm not...heh." Capper rubbed the back of his neck. Celaeno had been hoping for a reaction somewhat like this, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad. At least now she knew that while Capper was a really good liar, and he could deceive and distract like nobody's business, he fell to complete pieces when he was called out for his lie. Celaeno would have found this absolutely hilarious if she wasn't so concerned about why Capper would have felt the need to lie about this kind of thing in the first place.

"Why didn't you just tell me you didn't want to steal anymore?" Celaeno asked. She knew all too well that just because somebody was good at something didn't mean they automatically had to like doing it. She personally knew many creatures who had stolen out of necessity, though they were always looking for ways to get by without having to do just that. They could be the best thief in the world, but if they found some honest work, they would take it without a second thought and never look back.

Capper made a noise that sounded like a mix between a growl and a hiss. "Because the last time I told somebody that I wanted to make an honest living, he stole the magical gem that we had been planning on trading to Verko in exchange for an airship, and then he made off on that airship, leaving _me_ with an impossible amount of debt."

Celaeno blinked. It was clear from Capper's voice that he was still infuriated and hurt from the betrayal. It was a little surprising how easily he had explained this to her, but Celaeno figured all of these emotions had been building up for awhile now and he just needed a reason to talk about it all.

"You...was it your friend that did this?" Celaeno asked, though she already knew the answer.

Capper's fur stood on end. "He was _never_ my friend." He growled in a low voice. Celaeno knew that wasn't true. Capper and the tabby she had first seen him with had seemed pretty close when she had first met them. Celaeno understood what Capper was doing though. Sometimes, it was easier to accept that you had been lied to for a long time and that an entire relationship had never meant anything in the first place than to believe that it _had_ meant something, but had been destroyed.

"Well, I am." Celaeno said. "Did you really think I would change my mind about having you on the crew if I knew you didn't want to be a thief?"

Capper turned and gave her an odd look. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but y'all are _pirates._ Thieving is kinda in the job description."

Celaeno grinned. "Not on this crew it's not." Yes, as a whole they did steal and plunder, but not every single individual had to participate. In fact, nearly a quarter of Celaeno's entire crew avoided thieving unless it was absolutely necessary. Celaeno didn't need everybody to be a master thief, she just needed them to be okay with the thought of being a part of a group that took from others. And, as far as she could tell, Capper was. He just didn't want to do the thieving himself, and Celaeno was just fine with that.

Capper frowned. "It's not?" Celaeno guessed that she should have probably explained all of this before.

"No, it isn't." Celaeno turned and gestured to the port where the others were finishing up with loading up the ship. "Squabble hasn't stolen a thing in his life." Granted, that was for entirely different reasons, but it was still the truth. "And Mullet's one of the best thieves I know, but he hasn't swiped even a single bit off of anybody since joining this crew, and do you know why?"

"Because...he doesn't have to?" Capper guessed.

"And he doesn't want to, so he doesn't." Celaeno said. "Look, we may be pirates, but we are also a _crew,_ which means that we're all-" _Family,_ but Celaeno didn't think Capper was ready for that leap. At least, not yet. "-friends. And that means that none of us force anybody else on the crew to do something that they don't feel comfortable doing. Nobody's forcing Boyle to learn how to navigate using the stars. Nobody's forcing Mullet to even think about stealing treasure. And nobody's going to force you to steal either if you don't want to."

"...Are you sure." Capper asked in a quiet, uncertain voice. Celaeno wasn't used to this side of him, and she didn't really like it. She would take the suave, overconfident Capper over the unsure one anyday. Just as long as he didn't try to lie to her anymore.

"Positive." Celaeno assured him. She smoothed out her feathers and carefully got to her feet. She wasn't used to how thin this bowsprit was. It was sturdy, just like the rest of the ship was, but it wasn't designed for somebody to sit on it, let alone two creatures. It was much too thin for that. She would have to talk to Mullet about extending it.

"Captain Celaeno," She turned towards Mullet, who had boarded the ship and was leaning against the railing on the port side. "The ships all loaded up. We're ready to shove off at your command."

"Well, then, we'd better get moving." Celaeno hopped off of the bowsprit back onto the solid deck of the ship. She grinned at Squabble when he cheerfully approached and handed her her hat, which she hadn't worn into town, because it might draw in some unwanted attention. "Mullet, you and Boyle are at the rigging."

"Aye aye, captain." Mullet said before he turned to Boyle and began giving him directions. Boyle didn't know the ship like Mullet did, but he was better at physical labor than the first mate was, and manning all the ropes and pulleys on the ship was definitely a physical job when they were so short handed.

"Squabble, you're on lookout." Celaeno said. The cross-eyed bird squawked in understanding and climbed his way up the rigging to get a better view. Even with his unique eyes, Squabble had the sharpest sight of any of them.

"Capper, I want you at the wheel." Celaeno said when the cat stepped off the end of the ship. "Lix Spittle will show you what to do."

Capper looked at her dubiously. "Are you sure that's a good idea, captain?"

"No, I'm not." Celaeno admitted. "But you're a smart kitty, Capper, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Now, let's get going before we waste any more daylight." Capper didn't look completely convinced, but he didn't argue with her, which she appreciated. Capper just joined Lix Spittle at the wheel. Celaeno nodded in satisfaction. If Capper didn't feel like he could contribute to the crew if he didn't want to be a thief, then she would _make_ him realize that he had a lot more to offer her than his silver tongue and smooth movements.

"Raise the anchor and get ready to set sail." Celaeno said as she looked out towards the sky above the bow of the ship. She donned her hat, determination coursing through her blood. "We've got a crew to find."


	3. Chapter 3

Most creatures misunderstood what it meant to be the first mate of a crew. When people heard the term, they thought of a pirate who was the most ruthless on the crew, save for the captain. Or they thought of somebody who was the best at sucking up to the captain. Most creatures assumed that the job of the first mate was simply to run around and repeat the captain's orders. While that was definitely a part of the job, it was nowhere near all that was required.

As the first mate, Mullet's job was to pick up any of Celaeno's slack. She was an amazing captain, but she was still just one parrot. There was only so much responsibility she could shoulder without crumbling under the pressure. As Celaeno's first mate, a big part of Mullet's job was to help her strategize and come up with an attack plan. He wasn't the best fighter, and he didn't enjoy thieving, but Mullet was a decent strategist, just like Celaeno was. They could both probably make plans for the crew on their own, but two minds were greater than one. No matter how good an idea somebody had, it was never a bad idea to have somebody else's input.

Celaeno and Mullet were almost always in complete agreement with each other. They both cared about their crew more than anything else, and they would both do whatever it took to keep them safe. There was rarely ever a nice, clean plan that would result in the best results for everybody. Both Celaeno and Mullet knew this all too well, and they took it into account when they made their plans. Their goal was to find a strategy that, while not perfect, had the best reward when compared to the risk.

Every once and awhile though, Mullet and Celaeno completely disagreed on what risks were worth taking.

"Absolutely not." Mullet growled for the seventh time in as many minutes. "We're not doing it."

"We don't have much of a choice." Celaeno sighed and ran a talon through her feathers. "We've been out here for two weeks, and we aren't any closer to finding our crew than we were when we started."

"I know." Mullet frowned, because he did understood. He cared about the crew just as much as she did. He wanted to find them too. The problem was, Celaeno's plan to find out where the others were could possibly endanger crew that they had remaining, and Mullet just didn't think it was worth it. "Can't we just go somewhere else?"

"You know better than I do that Klugetown is the place to go if you're looking for information." Celaeno said. "Verko has lackies all across the land. At least _one_ of them should have some kind of clue as to where our crew is."

Celaeno was right about that, Mullet knew that she was, but he still despised the idea more than anything. "You realize that your plans involves trusting _Verko_ and his goons to tell us what we want without stabbing us in the back? You might as well turn this ship around and look for our crew back in Equestria, having picnics with the ponies, because it's _not going to happen!"_

"Mullet, I know you don't like Verko," Celaeno said, and that was the understatement of the century. "Neither do I, but I think we can trust him to keep his end of a business deal."

Mullet shook his head. "Captain, we can't trust that _rat_." Mullet didn't understand how Celaeno could know how he felt about Verko, as well as why, and yet she was unable to _understand_ it.

"We don't have much of a choice." Celaeno said in a determined tone. Her expression than softened slightly. "I know you're just worrying about your family, but so am I. Verko might have information about our crew, and right now he's the best lead that we have."

Mullet crossed his arms. He still didn't like this idea _at all._ "It's not going to work."

"Yes, it will." Celaeno insisted. She reached out and put her talons on Mullet's shoulders. She smiled reassuringly at him. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

Under any other circumstances, this would have been enough for Mullet. He knew that Celaeno cared about her crew, and he trusted her judgement. This time though, he wasn't satisfied with her assurances. Not when he had said much the same thing the last time he had been in Klugetown, and the end result had been anything but 'fine'.

Mullet and his two younger brothers hadn't grown up on the streets, but they might as well have. Even though they had had both of their parents around, Mullet had been the one to truly raise his brothers, so he was very protective of them. The very minute that Mullet had thought that he was old and mature enough to truly watch over his brothers on his own, he took them and left home.

They had done alright for themselves, but all three of them had always wanted more. That was part of the reason why they had made their way to Klugetown in the first place. Mullet had heard a lot of things about the dessert town, but what really intrigued him though was that it was a relatively poor town, but there was this _one_ creature in the town who was well-off and well-known. Mullet had figured that between him and his brothers, they could find the rumored treasure that was behind the creature's success.

At the time Mullet had thought that they had a good, low risk plan. It wasn't a flawless one, he knew that there was always the chance that they could get caught, but he hadn't considered the thought that any repercussions would be all that bad.

He had been so, _so_ wrong.

They had been caught red-handed, and Verko hadn't shown them any mercy. Mullet had long since mentally blocked out the events of the hours that followed. He couldn't handle thinking about their punishment, not without freaking out. However, as much as he wanted to forget what had happened, Mullet knew that it was impossible for him to ever forget the outcome. Not when he had permanently lost sight in one of his eyes, and every day he saw his youngest brother's hook where a proper hand should be. And both he and Boyle had to deal with the constant guilt brought with the knowledge that their middle brother had lost his ability to speak properly, and the fact that he wasn't just physically scarred for life, but mentally as well.

Klugetown could have destroyed them. _Verko_ could have destroyed them, and Mullet didn't want to give him the opportunity to finish the job. Mullet knew that there wasn't any guarantee that Verko would still have a grudge against them, or even that he remembered them at all. But there also wasn't any guarantee that he didn't, and Mullet would rather be safe than sorry.

Mullet wasn't a fan of conflict, and he especially didn't like to argue with his captain. However, he wasn't about to back down. Not about this. Mullet was just about to continue on with the discussion when the door to the captain's quarters was thrown open harshly and Lix Spittle let herself in. This was not a regular occurance. Celaeno was normally the only person allowed in her cabin. Mullet would join her in there if the circumstances required that they have a private meeting, and even that happened very rarely. If anybody else was coming in, it was only because something was very, _very_ wrong.

"Captain Celaeno, Mullet, we've got a problem." Lix Spittle said uneasily, which really let them know that whatever was going on was serious. She was normally so guarded with her emotions. "Capper's sick." Mullet immediately grew concerned. If Lix Spittle was this worried, he doubted it was just a simple case of airsickness. And if whatever was going on with Capper was contagious, they were all in serious trouble. On an isolated ship like this, disease spread like wildfire.

Celaeno was just as concerned as Mullet was. The two of them hurried out of the cabin to the main deck. The second that Mullet saw Capper, he could see physical signs that he wasn't feeling well, even though the cat was trying his best not to show it.

"Oh come on, now." Capper grimaced when he saw Celaeno and Mullet making their way towards him, their concern evident on their faces. "Y'all are worrying yourselves over nothing. I'm _fine."_ The way that Capper was curling slightly in on himself and had his paws over his stomach told a different story.

"Sure don't look 'fine' to me." Boyle muttered. He was standing just behind Capper. Boyle was on edge, as though he was afraid that Capper was just going to keel over without warning.

"I told you, I'm just a little hungry." Capper said moodily. Squabble squawked loudly in disagreement. He didn't think that Capper was telling the truth, and Mullet agreed.

"Hungry?" Mullet frowned. "We had lunch not even an hour ago."

"Yeah, and he lost it all about a minute ago." Boyle gestured to a pile of vomit a few feet away.

"So the food didn't agree with me, it's no big deal." Capper insisted.

"Sounds like food poisoning to me." Lix Spittle said. "If it is, then it'll pass soon."

"Food poisoning?" Mullet frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. We all ate the same bird seed, and none of _us_ are sick."

"...Bird seed?" Celaeno froze suddenly, as though she just realized something. Mullet looked at Capper again and he suddenly realized what was so wrong, and he felt like such a fool for not thinking of it before.

"Of course." Mullet groaned. "He's a _cat,_ He shouldn't be eating the stuff that _we_ eat."

"Capper," Celaeno spoke in a quiet voice that stopped any argument that Capper might have said before he could even think of it. "Why didn't you say anything?" That was a good question. Capper should have realized pretty quickly that their bird seed didn't agree with him. Why wouldn't he have said anything? Especially since bird seed was practically the only food they had on the ship, and they had been in the air for nearly _two weeks._

...two weeks where Capper hadn't had access to any food except bird seed, which he couldn't eat. At this point, Capper wasn't just hungry, he had to be _starving._

"We need to land," Mullet said sternly as he looked at Captain Celaeno. " _Now!"_ Capper really couldn't afford to wait for much longer before he had some proper food.

Celaeno turned to Lix Spittle. "Where's the nearest town?" She was asking just to be sure, but they all knew that it wasn't necessary. They were flying over the dessert, with nothing but sand for miles around. There was only one town all the way out here, and they all knew it.

"Klugetown." Lix Spittle said immediately. Capper grew tense. Squabble drew behind Boyle, who stiffened. Mullet clenched his talons in frustration, but didn't try to insist that they go somewhere else. He knew that they were just too far away. As much as he hated it, they didn't have a choice.

Celaeno didn't immediately give the order like she normally would have. Celaeno looked at Mullet, and he knew that if he really wasn't okay with going there, she would try to find another way. Mullet knew there was no other way though. They had to go to Klugetown. Mullet nodded at Celaeno, and she returned the gesture.

"Alright, mateys, let's head out." Celaeno made her way to the wheel. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

That was a plan that Mullet could get behind.

Lix Spittle kept an eye on Capper, even though the cat still refused to admit that there was a problem. Squabble climbed up to keep an eye out for the dessert town. Mullet went to work on the rigging, and Boyle soon came to join him.

"So, what's going on with you and the captain?" Boyle asked as they worked. "I haven't heard you two fight like this for a long time."

Mullet frowned and took a deep breath. "...I don't like that we're going to Klugetown. I don't want to go back there."

"Yeah, I'm not too excited about it either." Boyle admitted. "But nothing's gonna happen. We're not gonna let it. We're not kids anymore. We know how to take care of ourselves, and we've got the others to watch our back now too."

"I know." Mullet said. Going back to Klugetown still made him feel sick to his stomach. "I still don't like it."

Boyle sighed and put a talon on Mullet's shoulder. "Look, I get that you're not worried about yourself, and you know that I'm stronger than you are, so you're not really worried about me, right?" Mullet shook his head. Boyle was more than capable of taking care of himself. But their middle brother…

"Honestly, I'm worried about Squabble too." Boyle said in a quiet voice that didn't suit him. They were both worried about their brother. After the last time they had been in Klugetown, Squabble always needed somebody to watch out for him. His head had gotten really messed up and he couldn't think the same way that most other creatures could. Mentally, Squabble wasn't much more developed than a child, or, and Mullet hated that he even thought about it, a regular bird. The kind that people had as pets.

And that was what Mullet was most afraid of in Klugetown. After their experience with Verko, Mullet had done research on the monster. They had had a close call with him, and Mullet couldn't rest until he knew just what the threat had been. As far as he could tell, Verko collected and then sold creatures for two main reasons. He would sell them as slaves, or as pets.

Ornithians weren't common creatures in Klugetown, so their kind would draw attention anyways. Squabble's behavior and mindset might cause other people to see him as less. Mullet knew that some creatures could stoop so low as to treat even healthy and able creatures as though they were nothing better than simple animals. If creatures were willing to do that, what would they give to have a pet that was as exotic as an Ornithian, but behaved like a regular bird.

Mullet couldn't let that happen to Squabble. He would rather _die_ than let that happen to his little brother.

Mullet didn't know if Verko would specifically go after Squabble if he knew what he was like, but unless there was an absolute guarantee that Squabble would be safe, Mullet didn't want him anywhere near anybody that could harm him. Mullet knew that they had to go to Klugetown, but that didn't mean that he had to let his brother take even a single step into the rotten town.

It wasn't long before Squabble alerted them that he saw the town in the distance. The second they could see their destination, Mullet and Boyle both moved to take bring Squabble back down to the deck. They both knew they were being paranoid, but if it kept their brother safe, they were willing to act a little paranoid.

A few minutes later, they pulled into the town's loading dock. Mullet had been with the crew for years. They had been through a lot of close calls. Traveled through some pretty shady towns. And yet it was at this moment that Mullet dreaded moving forward.

"Alright, crew, we've got to split up." Celaeno said, he voice tight, but commanding. "Boyle, you and me are going to look for some information on our crew." Mullet felt his chest tighten at the thought of his youngest brother walking straight towards the most dangerous creatures in the town, but he knew that Celaeno would watch out for him. They would watch out for each other.

"Lix Spittle, I need you to find the stuff for Capper." Celaeno said. Lix Spittle was the one who handled most of their food. None of them knew what kind of food Abyssinians preferred, but they all knew that most of the food that they would be able to find in the markets were good for most any species to eat. Most all creatures could eat most foods, but they all had their favorites. Ponies liked hay. Dragons liked gemstones. Ornithians liked bird seed. But they were all willing to eat other food. The main reason that the crew mostly stocked up on bird seed was because it kept well over time, but Mullet was sure that Lix Spittle would be able to find something in town that wouldn't spoil quickly.

"Mullet, your job is to keep these two on the ship." Celaeno looked meaningfully at Capper, who was sitting on the deck, leaning against the railing, and Squabble, who was starring curiously at the cat. Celaeno leaned close to Mullet and whispered in his ear. "Capper has a debt to Verko. It would be better for all of us if the rat didn't know that he was here."

"Understood, captain." Mullet was actually relieved that Celaeno wanted Capper and Squabble to stay on the ship. Mullet didn't think that she would endanger them on purpose, but he felt better knowing that she was being safe rather than sorry when it came to this town. "Good luck."

"You too." Celaeno looked to Boyle, who handed her a sword while he sheathed his own.

"Just in case." Boyle muttered. He looked at Mullet and the two of them shared a meaningful look. "Take care of Squabble."

"Take care of yourself." Mullet advised. "And be careful."

Boyle nodded seriously and then turned and followed Celaeno off of the ship and into the town. Lix Spittle left shortly after them, which left Mullet in charge of the ship, and the remaining crew aboard it. Mullet didn't normally mind being in charge, but at that moment he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Maybe it was just the town and his paranoia acting up again. Maybe his feelings were an omen for something that was to come. Mullet just hoped that they would be able to get out of there before something happened to one of them.

But the crew was rarely ever that lucky.

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, I now have the headcanon that Mullet, Squabble, and Boyle are brothers. They're colored so similarly. I know that green is one of the most common colors for parrots, but usually when people think of parrots, or, at least, when I think of them, I imagine blue and red ones. And yet, in the movie, none of the pirates are blue or red, and yet they have three green ones. I just like think it's because they're related. As for their age order, I separately asked two of my brothers about what order they thought it was, and all three of us agreed. Mullet's the oldest, then Squabble, then Boyle. I'm not sure why that's what we feel like it is, but we all agreed on it, so that's what I went for.**


	4. Chapter 4

Capper had lived in Klugetown for quite some time, and it wasn't a place that he particularly cared for. The dessert town reminded him of a black hole that just sucked away all of the light that a creature may have, and it was nearly impossible to escape from. Verko controlled the whole town, and very few creatures were able to leave without his say-so and resources. Capper had only gotten away from Klugetown because he had pretty much been kidnapped by that crazy purple pony with a broken horn.

Capper hadn't necessarily been glad when he had been taken away from the town, he had been too worried for his safety to feel any sort of relief. After all the excitement had died down and Capper had the room to properly breath, he certainly hadn't complained about being away from the dessert town. He hadn't been in any rush to get back there. It had nearly been three weeks since Capper had been to Klugetown, and he was nowhere near ready to return. Capper actually wouldn't mind if he never returned, and yet, here they were.

Even though Capper didn't say so, he was relieved that Celaeno had ordered him to stay on the ship. Klugetown was a dangerous place, and though Capper was too stubborn and cautious to say so out loud, he wasn't in any state to defend himself if he ran into trouble. Capper could normally deal with hunger well enough, he had been doing it his whole life, but he had made a mistake earlier that day.

Capper had known from day one that he couldn't eat a lot of the bird seed. He knew that he should have said something about this to Celaeno, but he hadn't. Capper had kept his mouth shut partially because he hadn't wanted to worry the others or be a burden, but also partially because he had been worried that they wouldn't care. Capper knew that he wasn't being fair towards the pirates. They had let him join their crew, and he didn't trust them.

He couldn't help it. Capper had been burned pretty badly the last time he had really trusted somebody, and it was really hard for him to move on from that.

So Capper tried to keep his problems to himself. He had thought that if he just ate the bird seed a little bit at a time, that it would be enough and he wouldn't get sick. It had worked for a bit, but after two weeks of barely nibbling at food Capper's hunger had really caught up with him. It had felt as though his stomach was eating him from the inside out. He had been in pain, and he was so tired and sluggish all the time. He had needed something more, so he had eaten nearly his whole serving of bird seed, and his stomach had protested against it in a horrible way.

Now, Capper was still as hungry as he had been before, but because he had gotten sick from the bird seed the pain was even worse.

Capper had been this hungry enough times in his life to know that if he couldn't immediately get his paws on some food, then at the very least he needed to distract himself from the hunger. Luckily, he had two crewmates on the ship with him, and they were surprisingly entertaining.

"I don't think I've seen Mullet this tense before." Capper commented as he watched the first mate pace along the deck, his talons twitching at the sword that he had around his waist. By the way that Mullet was glancing towards the town every five seconds, Capper knew that he was anxious for the others to return, he just didn't know why. Capper turned to Squabble, who was sitting right next to him, playing with some wooden figures, and gestured back to Mullet. "Tell me, is it normal for him to get like this when we dock?"

Squabble squawked loudly and nodded his head eagerly. Mullet paused in his pacing to glare their way.

"I do not." Mullet dropped his hand away from the sword, though he didn't drag his gaze away from the town. "I just don't likes this place."

Capper didn't think that anybody actually _liked_ Klugetown, but Mullet's attitude of the place reminded him of his own. If Mullet didn't like the town, he probably had a really good reason why.

"Y'all have a bad experience here or somethin'?" Capper asked. A dark look came into Mullet's eye, and Squabble stopped playing with his wooden figures and seemed to freeze up. Capper began to feel concerned. If it was bothering _Squabble_ , who never seemed to be bothered by anything, then it must be something pretty bad. "What happened?"

Mullet clenched his talons tightly. "Verko." He growled the word with so much hate, not that Capper could blame him. Capper himself had had a couple of bad experiences with Verko, but he considered himself lucky that he had never actually been through anything, just been threatened...numerous times.

Squabble squawked unhappily, stood up, and made his way to Mullet. The shorter bird nuzzled up against Mullet, probably in an attempt to comfort him, but Squabble was stronger than her thought he was. His 'nuzzle' ended up being more of a tackle that knocked Mullet off his feet and sent them both to the ground.

Capper chuckled at the two birds. This soon turned to full on laughter when Mullet tried to get back to his feet, but Squabble stopped him. The shorter bird apparently liked the fact that they were both on the ground, as it made it easier for him to nuzzle Mullet's neck. The first mate tried to get away from the other, but his attempts were in vain.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Mullet laughed as he finally just gave in. He ruffled the red feathers on Squabble's head. "I'm fine, brother, I promise."

"Y'all are brothers?" Capper raised an eyebrow. He had gathered that the three guys were all brothers, it wasn't as though it was something that they tried to hide, but this was the first time that he had actually heard confirmation. Capper made a show of eyeing the two of them carefully. A moment later he shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. There's not much of a family resemblance there."

Squabble let out a loud, high pitched screech that made Capper laugh and put his hands up in surrender. He may not speak Orinthian, but he understood enough to know that Squabble wasn't amused. "I'm just kidding." Capper quickly assured him with a chuckle. "Trust me, I can tell that y'all are brothers."

"He's just messing with us." Mullet grinned. He at least sounded rather amused by the whole thing. Or maybe he was just happy that he was able to slip out of Squabble's reach.

"It's a little hard to doubt that you two are related after seeing the way you interact with each other." Capper crossed his arms and shook his head slightly. "No creatures that aren't related are that close."

"I know of many families that aren't as close as we are." Mullet got back to his feet. Squabble squawked something that Capper, of course, couldn't understand. Mullet, however, nodded his head in agreement. "True, there _are_ actually many close friends who might as well be family."

"Really?" Capper didn't know if he believed that. Maybe he would believe that Rarity and her pony friends had that kind of closeness, but he had never heard of any other kind of creature who had such a familial kind of friendship.

"Sure." Mullet looked at Capper curiously, a sly look in his eye that the Abyssinian didn't trust. "Why do you sound so surprised? When we first found you stowed away on our ship, you seemed pretty chummy with that other Abyssinian you were with. You sure the two of you didn't...Capper?" Mullet's teasing tone had fallen away and he looked at Capper with complete concern. "Are you...alright?"

"I'm...fine." Capper said stiffly. He didn't notice how he had become stiff as a board at the reminder of Chummer. He hadn't noticed how he had started to dig his claws into the deck of the ship. He hadn't noticed how his tail had bristled, or his eyes had become somewhat glossy. Capper hadn't noticed any of this, but both Mullet and Squabble had noticed it all.

"Did something happen?" Mullet slowly approached Capper and sat down on the deck next to him, though he was careful to respect Capper's personal space.

Capper was tempted to not share what had happened between him and Chummer, but he was too tired and weak to tell a convincing lie. And Celaeno wanted him to trust the crew more and open himself up to them, so he did. Capper had only meant to tell the brothers the abridged version that he had previously told Celaeno, but once he got talking he found that he couldn't stop. The words just came pouring out, and soon Capper forgot that he even had an audience at all. It was just him, finally admitting out loud what he had been trying to deny for so long.

"We had grown up together." Capper said in a quiet, tired voice after he had finished getting Chummer's betrayal off his chest. Capper sighed, his ears lay flat. "We had always had each others backs. I would have _jumped_ at the chance to call him my brother, because to me, that's what he _was"_

"I didn't ever say it out loud though, because he didn't want me to." Capper frowned and folded his arms across his chest. He told himself that it was just because he was getting cold, which, to be fair, was at least the partial truth. However, he didn't think that he could warm up or get rid of the cold, empty feeling that had been festering inside of him since Chummer had left. "He never liked it when I said he was like my brother. I guess it's because he never felt the same way."

Capper had avoided even _thinking_ these thoughts, because they brought so much pain. Talking about all of it just made the pain all the more real. At the same time though, it felt like a weight that had been pulling him down had fallen away. He still felt like he was drowning, but at least now there was a _chance_ that he could get away from the suffocating feelings that Chummer's betrayal had caused.

Mullet and Squabble had listened to him in silence. By the time he was finished, he could tell that they both felt sorry for him. He didn't exactly like being pitied, but he didn't necessarily mind it either. All his life Capper had only known other creatures that would just get annoyed by someone else's pain. It actually felt pretty good that his pain wasn't being ignored or ridiculed.

"That sounds horrible." Mullet said. Squabble let out a sad noise of agreement and curled up against Capper, nuzzling him slightly. "And after knowing each other your whole lives-well, it's no wonder you don't trust us."

Capper flinched slightly. He hadn't meant for the others to notice that he had trust issues. It had nothing to do with them. It was his own problem, and Capper just knew that at least some of the crew would take it personally. Like he would trust them if they just tried hard enough, even though that wasn't how things worked.

"Hey, I trust ya'll." Capper protested, because he really _did_ trust them...in some ways. In other ways, not so much. "I'm just...cautious."

Squabble squawked loudly and grabbed tightly to Capper's arm, in an almost protective way. Mullet gave his brother a stern, almost scolding look. "Hey, you don't get to say stuff like that."

"What did he say?" Capper asked. He needed to learn what these squawks meant, because he didn't know how much longer he could deal with not understanding anything that Squabble said.

Mullet sighed. "My brother was just cursing that old friend of yours. Says that it was a good thing that he didn't let you call him brother, because he didn't deserve the title." Capper was surprised that Squabble had said all _that_ in a single squawk.

"No, he's right." Capper said. "I guess I'll just be siblingless forever." Capper moaned in an overly dramatic way that made Mullet laugh. Squabble squawked in disagreement and nuzzled closer to Capper. Whatever he said, it made Mullet laugh even harder.

"I don't think you get to make that decision on your own, Squabble." Mullet chuckled. "Though, it's not a bad idea."

"What?" Capper looked from one bird to the other.

Mullet shook his head. "Squabble doesn't think that it's fair that he has two brothers and you don't have any, so he has decided to share his brothers with you."

Capper's chest tightened uncomfortably, though even he didn't know what it meant. "I don't think that's how it works."

"Why not?" Mullet asked simply. "This crew is like a family, you know that." Capper did know that, but somehow the word 'brother' felt much more personal. He wasn't sure if he was ready to take that leap.

Mullet stood up and grabbed Squabble arm. He pulled him away from Capper to give him a little room, which he appreciated. Capper had been feeling overwhelmed, and having Squabble curling up against him was _not_ helping.

"If you don't feel comfortable with it, that's fine." Mullet assured him. "But, if you're ready to call someone 'brother' again-"

"I'll...think about it." Capper didn't think that it was going to happen, but he just didn't know. He hadn't really thought about this before. There was a lot of complicated feelings that he had to get over and consider before he made any serious decisions, and letting himself get close to somebody again was a _very_ serious decision. Capper knew that it was risky, but maybe…

"That's good enough for me." Mullet let go of Squabble's arm, and Capper was relieved that the smaller bird didn't jump right back onto him. Mullet turned his gaze back to the town and frowned. "The others have been gone for a while."

Capper would normally reassure Mullet that everything was fine. They both knew that trips into town could take quite some time, but especially if one was looking for something specific, which was exactly what their crew was doing. Still, it _had_ been an awfully long time, and Capper was eager to get out of that town.

"If you're concerned, why don't you go look for them?" Capper suggested. Mullet didn't look happy about the suggestion. He was very clearly tempted, but still conflicted. Mullet wanted to find out what was taking the others so long, but he didn't feel okay with leaving Squabble and Capper on the ship by themselves, and Capper definitely wasn't in any state to be leaving.

"Go find the others." Capper insisted. "We can handle things here for a few minutes." It was incredibly unlikely that something would happen. And the best way to make sure that they weren't threatened by the citizens of Klugetown was by leaving the place as soon as possible.

Mullet sighed and reluctantly took his sword, which he handed to Squabble. "You're in charge of Capper while I'm gone." Mullet then looked at Capper. "And you're in charge of Squabble. Watch each other's backs, and don't go anywhere. I'll be back soon."

Capper was glad that Mullet had given the sword to Squabble, because he had absolutely no experience fighting with a weapon. Capper could smooth talk his way out of most any situation, but he had never used a sword in his life. He didn't like to get his paws dirty. He would rather rely on his silver tongue than an old blade, but if things really came down to it and a sword was needed, it should be wielded by somebody who at least had an idea of what they were doing.

Mullet hurried off of the ship and ran into the old town. Capper didn't think that Klugetown was the kind of place where _anybody_ should be wandering by themselves, but he wasn't worried about Mullet. That bird knew how to take care of himself.

Once Mullet was gone, Squabble climbed onto the rigging and kept look out. He didn't seem all that concerned, so Capper believed that he was just doing this out of habit. Squabble was their lookout. He knew how to spot things from a distance, and he had good instincts on whether something was a threat or not.

As Squabble kept an eye on the town, he 'talked' cheerfully to Capper. As his talking consisted of squawks and other bird noises, Capper didn't have an idea what he was saying. He enjoyed hearing him talk though. In a way it was somewhat comforting and relaxing, hearing something that he couldn't understand, something that he didn't have to think about, coming from a source that he saw as friendly.

Capper wasn't the kind of creature that let his guard down around others, but he found himself dozing off to the sound of Squabble 'talking' to him. He just felt _safe_ , and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this. He had always had to watch his back, even when he was with others that he trusted. But...this was different.

Capper dozed into a half asleep state. He was just barely holding onto the threads of consciousness when Squabble squawked loudly and bit his arm. All sense of drowsiness gone in an instant, Capper snapped awake. A part of him was irritated that Squabble had disturbed him, but a larger part of him was concerned, because the bird sounded worried about _something,_ and Capper didn't think that he would have woken him over nothing.

"What's wrong?" Capper quickly got to his feet, though he did have to grab the side of the ship to keep himself up for a moment. He had been sitting down for so long because Celaeno had insisted that he needed to rest, but if there was danger, it really wasn't a good time to let himself adjust slowly.

Squabble gestured towards the town. Capper followed Squabble's gaze and grimaced when he saw a couple of shady creatures hanging around the dock. Almost every creature in Klugetown could be considered 'shady', but, unfortunately, Capper knew that these creatures were worse than most others were. There were about a dozen creatures, and eleven of them just looked like generic thugs. The last creature, Capper recognized in an instant. It would be pretty sad if he didn't recognize the little creature that had stood outside his house every day.

"Needy, you sneaky little monster." Capper scowled. He gently pushed Squabble behind him. Needy on his own wasn't dangerous, but he was a sneaky little snitch. If Needy was around, his boss wasn't far behind, and Capper wasn't ready to have another run in with Verko.

Capper and Needy made eye contact with each other, and the bug eyed little creature clearly recognized Capper just as much as Capper recognized him. "Little kitten, long time no see!" Needy waved up at him.

"Not long enough, rodent." Capper's ears twitched. This was one reason why he really hated Klugetown. Everybody there that knew him treated him as though he was a child. Nobody respected him. And yet, unfortunately, every creature refused to overlook anything that he did. It had definitely been the worst of both worlds.

Capper looked back towards Squabble, who was getting fidgety. "Let me deal with this." His big mouth may have gotten him into this trouble with Verko in the first place, but it had also kept him from getting hurt too badly. Capper had to trust his instincts and stick with what he knew.

Capper took a deep breath and straightened his posture. In Capper's dealings with Verko, he had come to realize that the rodent's goons practically fed off of fear. He couldn't let these guys know that he was unnerved. Things would only get worse for him if he did.

By the time that Needy had led the thugs up the gangplank, Capper had regained his composure enough to appear in control of the situation. After living a life filled with thievery and lies, Capper had learned that if he wanted somebody to believe what he was saying, then he needed to act like he believed it himself.

"Verko got word that there was an unauthorized ship in his town." Needy said in that obnoxious voice of his. The little creature usually kept silent, but when Verko had a message that he wanted delivered, Needy was right there to deliver it with a voice that was so grating that it could make ears bleed. "Rumor was that there was an Abyssinian on board. Just wait till the boss hears that his little kitty really _has_ returned."

Capper's tail twitched nervously. So Verko already knew that he was back in town. That wasn't good. And he hadn't missed how Needy had said that he was _Verko's_ little kitty. Verko was a possessive creature, but he didn't label his debtors as ' _his_ '. That was reserved just for his _merchandise._

This was _really_ not good.

"Look, if Verko wants his money, I can get him his money." Capper held up his paws in a defensive manner. While it was true that _Capper_ didn't currently have any money, the _crew_ certainly did. Capper was sure that there was enough money below the decks of the ship to pay off his debt to Verko. He felt bad about even considering using the crew's treasure, but his _life_ might just be on the line. They could always get more treasure. He was sure that Celaeno and the others would understand...wouldn't they?

Needy narrowed his buggy little eyes at Capper. "Verko's not interested in your money any more." Needy nodded at two of the thugs, and with a speed that neither of them looked capable of, the two goons rushed forward and grabbed Capper's arms before he could even think of running away. "The boss has something _else_ in mind for you."

Capper didn't like his tone. He _really_ didn't like his tone. He needed to get out of there before things escalated.

And, fortunately, he had somebody there to help him out of the tight situation.

Squabble shrieked furiously and bit one of the goons that was holding Capper's arm. The thug yelped in pain and let go, and Capper didn't blame him. Nips from birds could hurt if that was what they wanted to do, and with Squabble's metal upper beak, it was just that much worse. Capper was grateful for the assist, but it didn't do him much good. He only had one thug holding his arm at that point, but whether it was one guy or two, if the grip was like iron, he wasn't going to pull away.

That wasn't even the worst of it. Capper was horrified to see that the thug that had dropped his arm had gotten a hold of Squabble, and his grip didn't look like it was all that gentle either.

"Let him go!" Capper hissed furiously. He was _not_ going to be responsible for any of his friends getting taken by Verko.

"Kitty, _you're_ defending an _Ornithian?_ " Needy looked at him in shock. "I thought you didn't have ties with anybody?"

Capper's ears twitched and he took a moment to mentally push back his fear and fury. He wasn't going to let Squabble get hurt, but he had to be smart about this. Verko had a fascination with birds, half the creatures that were sold and bought in Klugetown were birds or Ornithians. He would probably want to get his hands on Squabble, even if he didn't know that he could use the pirate to get to Capper. No, he had to do more than convince them that he didn't care about Squabble, he had to convince them that they would be better off if they _didn't_ take the bird.

"It doesn't matter if I have ties with him or not." Capper forced his voice to remain even and casual. "Y'all had better listen to me when I say that you don't want this one."

"Oh, and why is that?" Needy asked. At that very moment Squabble screeched so loudly that he was probably heard back in town. Squabble began to squirm so violently that it looked like he was trying to fly away. Capper knew that Ornithians couldn't fly, but if he _hadn't_ already been aware of that, he never would have guessed. Squabble was desperate, going absolutely crazy. Capper felt bad that Squabble was so clearly scared, but it would make his goal easier to achieve.

"He's a wild one." Capper leaned towards his captor, away from Squabble. "Can't be tamed."

"Verko's dealt with 'untamable' creatures before." Needy reminded him.

"Not like this one." Capper insisted. He glanced around nervously for show and held up his available paw to block his mouth from Squabble's view. "You see those crazy eyes? His molted feathers? Those, my friend, are signs of Senguisitis. A thirst for blood."

Needy gave him an annoyed look He clearly didn't believe him. That was okay. Capper wasn't done yet.

"Fine, don't believe me." Capper shook his head and shrugged. "But I would keep my fingers away from his mouth if I were you."

Needy opened his mouth, probably to call him out, when the thug that was holding Squabble screamed in pain and let go of him. However, Squabble refused to let go of _him._

"Get him _off!"_ Squabble's captor tried to shake him off, but he wasn't getting anywhere with it. Squabble had gotten his beak into his arm, and he wasn't about to let go.

"Be careful to not agitate him." Capper cautioned. "He gets vicious when he's agitated."

"You mean he's not agitated _now?"_ Two more thugs had to help pry Squabble away, and even then it was still really tough.

"Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet." Capper said sincerely. Squabble was tough and unpredictable. He could handle a couple of goons for a bit. Capper just really didn't want to test how long Squabble could last for. "If you still want to take him to Verko…"

"Leave the bird." Needy ordered. "And make sure he doesn't follow us." Needy then approached Capper and glared at him. "I'm doing you a favor here, Capper. Your friend is off the hook, but if you give us a hard time…" Needy trailed off, leaving the threat wide open.

"I haven't tried to escape yet, have I?" Capper turned and watched as the thugs dragged Squabble to Celaeno's cabin and locked him in there. They probably used more force than was necessary, but Squabble wasn't hurt, so Capper wasn't going to complain. He just hoped that the others returned soon, because he knew that Squabble would just end up hurting himself if he continued to screech like he was a siren.

Capper was worried about Squabble, but as Needy and Verko's thugs dragged him off of the ship, his concern turned inwards. He had gotten Squabble out of the mess. Now he just needed to find a way to get himself out. And something told him it wouldn't be nearly as easy.

Capper let himself be dragged along, but he couldn't help but freeze up and fight back the tiniest bit when he laid his eyes on the glorified cage on wheels that Verko's goons had brought with them. He had thought that he could handle whatever they threw his way and get out before things got too serious, but the second Capper saw the cage that he just knew they planned to put him in, he realized that he was _not ready for this._

"H-hey now, is this really necessary?" Capper said nervously as he tried to dig his feet into the ground. He wasn't strong enough to get out of their grip though, and it wasn't long before he was forced into the cage.

"It's just protocol." Needy reassured him as he took a seat at the front of the cage carriage and snapped the reigns to get the creatures that were pulling it to move forward.

Protocol. Capper rolled his eyes. Just because Verko did this to everybody did not mean that he felt comfortable having it happen to him. He wasn't just some wild animal that could be caged and tamed. He was a living creature, just like anybody else. Though, of course, to Verko, there wasn't a difference.

Capper didn't know exactly what Verko wanted with him, but he knew that it couldn't be anything good. Nothing that had to do with Verko ever was. He knew he had to get out of there. And he thought that he had an idea on how to do just that.

"So, is Verko capturing all of his debtors, or am I just lucky?" Capper leaned casually against the bars that were right near where Needy was sitting. He knew that this wasn't something that Verko was doing for every creature. If that were the case, half the citizens of Klugetown would be crowded into Verko's home/prison. He had to get Needy talking though.

"He's not happy with you, Capper." Needy kept his eyes glued forward. He could be a real professional when he wanted to be.

"He never is." Capper said. "So what was the metaphorical straw that broke his back?" Capper actually knew _exactly_ what it was.

"You let your magical ponies escape." Needy reminded him.

Now, that wasn't my fault." Capper said slyly.

Needy looked over his shoulder to give him an annoyed look. Capper saw his opportunity, and he took it. Quick as he could, without raising much of a ruckus, Capper slid his tail through the bars and snaked it to Needy's right side. The side that he was turned away from. "Of course, it doesn't help that you brought a crazy unicorn behind you." Capper hurried to wrap his tail around the ring of keys that Needy had around his waist while the bug eyed freak spoke. _Bingo._ And then you _left."_

"I wouldn't exactly say getting kidnapped would qualify as _leaving._ " Capper muttered, but he didn't fight him further on it. He had gotten what he had wanted. He couldn't risk losing it all just to defend his honor to somebody who likely wouldn't listen anyways. Capper made his way to the back of the cage and leaned against those bars instead. Still holding the keys in his tail, he slipped his tail through the bars again and brought them to the keyhole. He was just as handy with his tail as he was with his paws. Without too much difficulty he was able to unlock the cage. Capper could have escaped right at that moment if he wanted to, but he fought off the temptation. He had to be smart about this.

Verko's place wasn't far from the docks. They probably would have been just fine walking there. The carriage cage was just a power play, nothing more. Within just a few minutes they reached their destination. Needy hopped off his seat and made his way past the guards at the front door. Two of Verko's thugs that were just hanging around, there were always a handful lingering around the town, approached the cage to get him out. Capper was two steps ahead of them though.

The very moment that Needy had made his way inside, Capper made his move. He pushed open the cage doors and rolled right out of the thug's reach. They may be stronger than him, but he was faster and smarter than any of Verko's creatures were. Capper ran like his life depended on it, because it very well might.

Capper had let himself get careless. He was so desperate to get away that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. Capper had run into the first alleyway that he had seen. It was a good idea in theory, if he got off of the main streets, it would be easier to lose anybody that might be following him. He hadn't taken into account that the first alleyway lead directly behind Verko's lair. This wouldn't be that much of a problem if Verko's lair didn't happen to have a back door, and the rodent had gotten to know Capper fairly well in his time in Klugetown.

Capper yelped in pain when he felt a sharp tug on his tail. It stopped him dead in his tracks and caused him to trip _hard._

"You're so predictable, Capper." Verko sneered from above him. Capper grimaced and looked over his shoulder to see the rodent's ugly face sneering at him. Verko looked _way_ too happy to see him. "I've always liked how sneaky you were." That was a lie. "But I can't have you trying to escape from me again." Whatever Verko had in mind for him, it couldn't be anything good. And Capper was beginning to worry that he wouldn't be able to get out of this one.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So for this chapter I'm going to give a bit of a warning. There is a fairly horribly injury in this chapter. Nothing too graphic is mentioned, mostly just blood, but it's definitely not a pretty injury.**

* * *

They never should have returned to Klugetown.

Celaeno had known that it could be risky. The town was a dangerous place, and anyone who visits should take care to tread carefully. _Especially_ if they were specifically there looking for something, whether it was information, or a trinket or creature that shouldn't be sold in the first place.

Celaeno had known all of this, but she thought that if they found the information that they were looking for, then it would be well worth any potential risk. She had thought that even if Verko would have wanted to make a move against someone in her crew, he would have waited for at least a little bit. Verko was a merciless guy, but he wasn't a careless one. He wouldn't risk losing everything just because he had gotten impatient and rushed a little bit.

Celaeno had been _confident_ about this. So confident that she had let her guard down. She had taken precautions, but they hadn't been enough. She should have listened to Mullet, or at least planned things through a little better. If she had then maybe things wouldn't have gone horribly wrong.

When Celaeno had made a plan for how her crew should take on their tasks in Klugetown, she had given the orders to her crew with confidence. She knew that all of them, especially Mullet, were nervous about being in the town. If she let them know that she was just as anxious as they were, they would only feel worse. She needed her crew to be alert, which meant that she needed them to believe that she had more control over their situation than she really did.

What Celaeno didn't tell anyone in the crew, not even Mullet, was that from the second they had brought the ship into Klugetown's port, she had to fight the urge to turn around and take them somewhere else. Celaeno ignored the urge, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was going to happen. She had pushed those feelings to the back of her mind and convinced herself that it was just her nerves about being in the despised town again.

She should have trusted her instincts.

Even when Celaeno and Boyle had been walking along the streets, asking around for any information about their crew, she couldn't stop worrying. She began to doubt not just the decision to go to Klugetown in the first place, even though they really didn't have a choice, but also her decision to bring Boyle along with her. He was the best fighter on their crew, so he would be the best suited for defending the ship should something happen. And if Celaeno had brought Mullet with her, she could voice her doubts and hear his opinions about them. Mullet was her first mate. It was his job to bring clarity when she didn't know what to do.

Celaeno had briefly considering having Boyle stay on the ship and Mullet come into the town with her, but she had ultimately decided against it because she had been worried about her first mate. Mullet had fought with her about coming to Klugetown at all. He hated the place even more than she did, and she didn't blame him for that. She knew what had happened to him and his brothers. Mullet had been desperate to avoid the town because he was worried about Squabble. It wouldn't have felt right to bring Mullet with her into town, where he couldn't keep an eye on the brother he was so worried about.

Boyle didn't necessarily like Klugetown any more than Mullet did, but he had always been better at acting professional despite his personal feelings. Boyle was a sensitive guy, but he knew when it was appropriate to show his emotions. If she needed him to be threatening without stirring the waters, he would do so without question, no matter how he was feeling at the time. Celaeno admired how much Mullet cared about his brothers, but if he let his concern and nervousness show through in Klugetown, a city of liars and thieves, it would definitely backfire on them.

Celaeno had good reasons behind bringing Boyle and leaving Mullet, but she also had reason to believe that it should have been the other way around. It was like there was no right solution. Only two wrong solutions, and it was impossible to tell which, if any, was the better option.

Celaeno had made her decision though, and whether she liked it or not, she had to stand by it. They would just be wasting time if she went all the way back to the ship to switch out Boyle and Mullet. Celaeno knew that, at that moment, the best option was to keep on going as they were and hope that they would find some answers soon.

After Celaeno and Boyle had asked around for a while for information, someone finally approached them and said that he might have the knowledge that they were looking for, and he would be willing to give it to them for a fee. Celaeno didn't recognize the shark-like creature, but she had a guess that he was under Verko's employment. Half the citizens of Klugetown were under Verko's payroll. This meant that he would probably ask for more money in exchange for the information, but it also meant that his information was more likely to be clean. Verko may be a sneak and a rat, but he was honest in his dealings.

Celaeno was about to hear the shark out when a cry came from down the street. "Captain Celaeno!" She instantly recognized her first mate's voice, though she couldn't imagine what he was doing there. She had told him to stay on the ship with Capper and Squabble.

"What are you doing here?" Celaeno tried to make her voice fierce and commanding, but she was too concerned. Mullet may not have been happy that they had docked in Klugetown, but he wouldn't have gone against her orders like this. He must have had a good reason for leaving the ship, and Celaeno had the feeling that whatever the reason was, it wasn't good.

Mullet caught up to them, and Celaeno could tell that whatever had brought him here, not only was it not good, but it was something horrible. Mullet's feathers looked ruffled, which meant that he had either just barely been in a fight, or he was really shook up about something that had happened. Celaeno didn't know which option she dreaded more.

"We have a problem." Mullet said seriously. His tone was casual and all business, as it usually was, but the expression on his face betrayed just how concerned he was. "Verko has Capper."

"What?!" for a brief moment Celaeno felt like the world had frozen or was moving in slow motion. She was afraid that something like this would happen. There was a reason why she had wanted Capper to stay on the ship. "How could this have happened?"

Mullet grimaced and closed his eye tightly. He looked as though he was being tormented, and he probably was. "It's all my fault." Mullet said in a quiet voice. "I-I left them alone. You had been gone for so long, and I just…" Mullet groaned.

"It's all right." Celaeno put a talon on Mullet's shoulder. She knew that she should be angry. Mullet had disobeyed a direct order, and now one of their own might be in danger. She wasn't mad though, she was concerned. Once they found a way to resolve the situation Celaeno would have a few words with Mullet about what he had done, but that could wait until they were all safe. "We'll get him back."

"Where's Squabble?" Boyle asked nervously.

"He's back on the ship. Lix Spittle is keeping an eye on him." Mullet said. Boyle breathed a sigh of relief, and Celaeno felt like doing the same. At least things weren't as horrible as they could be. She was just glad that Lix Spittle had returned from her errands safely. "He's really upset though. I could barely understand a word he said."

Boyle frowned. "What's he so upset about?" Celaeno didn't understand the question. Squabble was protective of his friends. Couldn't he just be upset that Capper had been taken?

Mullet let out a broken laugh that sounded more like a short sob. "Those monsters were going to take both of them, but Capper talked them into just taking him."

" _..._ Capper did that?" Celaeno didn't understand why he would. She knew that he was more kind-hearted than he gave himself credit for, but she hadn't realized that she had been underestimating just how much he cared as well. He had saved Squabble when he probably could have saved himself.

It was the kind of thing that the crew did for each other. Celaeno's crew was a family, and they treated each other as such. She had brought Capper onto their crew, but it was obvious that he was still cautious about trusting them, and she understood why. Celaeno knew that Capper was trying to trust them, but that he didn't truly believe that they would do anything that they could to help him if he was in trouble.

Despite this, Capper had done what he could to protect Squabble. Why would he do that if he didn't believe that any of them would do the same for him?

Well, if Capper didn't think they would come for him, he was wrong.

"Let's go." Celaeno said, her tone serious. Boyle and Mullet's concerned expressions almost immediately became looks of determination. She didn't even have to say where they were going. They both knew perfectly well that they were going to go and save their mate, whether he thought they would or not.

Celaeno hadn't been to Klugetown very often, and she didn't know the streets as well as others might, but she had a clear destination in mind. They needed to get to Verko's place, and that just so happened to be the one place in town that any of the locals would be willing to share directions to, free of charge. Most people who asked around about Verko did so because they had business with him, and the Klugetown civilians weren't crazy enough to get between Verko and a potential business opportunity.

Verko's place was on the other side of town, but with all of the back alley ways and shortcuts, it took them a much shorter time to get there than it seemed like it should have. Celaeno was tempted for a moment to leave Mullet and Boyle outside while she talked with Verko, but she ultimately decided against it. She usually spoke with Verko one on one, but this wasn't like every other time. Celaeno wanted Verko to know that she meant business, and she wanted Capper to recognize that the whole crew had his back.

Verko had bodyguards outside his front door. They were good at their job, which was to intimidate people, but they were easy to get past if somebody knew what they were doing.

"My name is Captain Celaeno" She said confidently, like she knew exactly what she was doing and they would be fools to question her. If they thought that she was there for a purpose, they were more likely to let her through. "Tell Verko that I'm here to make a deal." Verko wasn't the kind of creature who walked away from a potential deal. Especially if he knew that it was Celaeno was the one who wanted to see him. She was one of his few repeat customers, and he wouldn't want to jeopardize that.

The two guards looked at each other. They didn't look entirely convinced, but because they worked for Verko, they knew better than to get in the way of a deal. One of the bodyguards stayed outside with them, while the other went inside, probably to tell Verko that they were there.

As they waited Celaeno remembered something _very_ important, and she cursed herself for letting it slip her mind. She had been so concerned about getting Capper back from Verko that she had forgotten about Mullet and Boyle's experience with him.

Celaeno turned around to see how her boys were doing, and she immediately felt guilty for having brought them. Boyle looked like he was going to be sick, and he wouldn't stop rubbing his hook. Mullet on the other hand looked absolutely furious, and Celaeno wouldn't be surprised if his first instinct when he saw Verko was to attack him, and that would probably be a mistake, considering what they were trying to accomplish.

"Uh, maybe you two should go back to the ship." Celaeno suggested. A part of her wanted to have Mullet and Boyle by her side, but if they weren't comfortable with seeing Verko again, she definitely didn't want to force them.

The brothers looked at each other, and Celaeno could tell by the look in their eyes that they both thought that the other should go back. Neither of them moved.

"You can stay if you want." Celaeno said reluctantly, though she was also grateful for their support. "But if there are going to be any problems-" Celaeno looked directly at Mullet.

"...There won't be." Her first mate said. He was clear that he was reluctant, and angry, but he would do his best to not cause a scene. Celaeno didn't know how much she trusted his restraint, because she didn't know exactly how upset he was. But she knew that if he lost his cool, then Boyle would be right there to pull him back.

A moment later the other bodyguard came back outside and gestured for them to enter the building. He was obviously a creature of few words. Celaeno sent Mullet a look that was both for concern, and to serve as a warning. Mullet took a deep breath and steeled his expression. He was trying to lock away his emotions. Celaeno normally didn't like it when her crew hid away what they were feeling, but in this particular case it was probably for the best.

The first thing that they saw when they entered the main room was Verko himself, sneering at them in a way that he probably thought was hospitable. It really wasn't. Celaeno quickly glanced in Mullet's direction, and she was relieved to see that he was completely calm. She didn't even see him flinch. Celaeno knew that he was probably feeling a lot of things at that moment, particularly hatred, anger, and fear, but he didn't let any of it show, and that was really smart of him. As far as Celaeno knew, if somebody was bothering you, the best way to get them to stop was by not letting them see that they bothered you at all.

"Celaeno." Verko smirked as he greeted her. "I had heard that you were in town." Verko had an annoying way of speaking that made it sound like he knew and owned everything in Klugetown. Though, to be fair, that wasn't an entirely untrue statement.

"Word travels fast around here." Celaeno said coldly. "Something that _I_ heard was that you got your hands on an Abyssinian." There was no point in her hiding what she was there for.

Verko raised an eyebrow. "You on the lookout for more crew members?"

"We're a little short handed right now." Celaeno said plainly.

"I'm always happy to provide you with new cabin boys, Celaeno." Verko raised an eyebrow at her. "But why the Abyssinian?"

Celaeno was quiet for a moment, because she wasn't sure how to answer that. She should have thought that Verko would ask why they would want an Abyssinian. Fortunately for her, Mullet was a quick thinker.

"The crew has been getting sloppy." Mullet said in a quiet, even voice. "The captain was hoping that by bringing a cat on board, she could intimidate the crew into getting their act together." Celaeno could have breathed a sigh of relief.

Verko adjusted his hat and frowned at the three of them. "You know I'm always happy to make a deal with you, Captain, but I'm afraid that I'm rather fond of this particular speciman. I have other creatures available, if you are interested."

Celaeno shook her head sharply. "We're just here for the Abyssinian."

"You've always known just what you wanted." Verko chuckled slightly, though he didn't sound amused. "So tell me, what are you willing to give me in exchange for my new pet?" Mullet growled slightly at the demeaning term.

"We have treasure." Celaeno assured Verko, and they did. Of course, because they hadn't had any choice but to start from scratch, they didn't have as many valuables as they normally would, but it was still a fair amount. She just hoped that it was enough.

Boyle, who was the one who kept track of all of their treasure, told Verko the exact ammount. Boyle even went so far as to say how much of it was in gems, gold, bit, and other valuables. He was really organized when it came to their treasure.

Verko considered their offer while they waited with bated breath. Celaeno knew that if Verko agreed, he would be taking all of their treasure. It was a small price to pay if it meant getting Capper back. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Verko maked up his mind.

"I would normally expect more for a speciman like Capper." Verko said, and Celaeno's feathers bristled Verko shouldn't be allowed to talk about Capper as though he was familiar with him. "However, I know that you prefer your crew to be undamaged, so I may be willing to lower the price for you."

Celaeno felt her breath catch in her throat and she could feel Mullet and Boyle stiffen behind her. "He's damaged?"

"I had no choice." Verko spread his arms. " My pet thought that he would get away from me. I had to teach him a lesson, as well as insure that something like this shouldn't happen again." He said it so casually, it made Celaeno sick. What made her feel even worse was that she didn't even know what he had done to Capper. Had he broken his legs? Beaten him so badly that he couldn't walk? _What had that monster done?_

Celano clenched her talons. It took a lot of restraint to not take a hold of her sword and end Verko right where he stood. "I want to see him." She said stiffly.

"Of course." If Verko noticed how upset she and her boys were, he didn't comment on it. Verko just smirked and gestured for them to follow him, which they did so reluctantly. Verko led them to a hallway in the back, and something told Celaeno that the rooms back here were used as cells.

The further they walked, the more uncomfortable Celaeno felt, and she knew she wasn't the only one. Boyle let out a strange, choked sound and when Celaeno looked back to check on him he actually looked scared. Boyle wasn't a sensitive guy, and he didn't scare easily. And yet at this moment he was so bothered about being there that he had latched tightly to Mullet's arm with his hand, and he didn't look like he was planning on letting go any time soon. Mullet took one look at his brother and a dark look of realization came into his eyes. That was when Celaeno knew that this must be the place that the 'incident' had happened.

Her concern about Capper and what Verko might have done to him spiked to an extreme.

Celaeno was spared from having to deal with her overactive imagination when Verko stopped in front of a door that looked just like any other. Capper was in there, no doubt about that. There was a lock on the door, but Verko apparently hadn't bothered to use it. He was able to just turn the knob and push the door open. Whatever Verko had done to Capper, it was enough to make him feel so confident that he wouldn't escape that he hadn't even bothered to lock the door.

"Get up, Capper," Verko announced as he opened the door and walked right in. Celaeno heard a harsh, warning hiss. That was definitely Capper. Verko didn't heed the warning. He just made his way to the far corner of the room, where there was a figure curled up on the floor. "You have guests. Now, get over there and say hello." Verko's tone was sarcastic and degrading, as though he was mocking a child or a pet.

When Capper didn't move Verko snarled and harshly grabbed the scruff of his neck. Verko pulled Capper up, which caused him to yelp in pain. Celaeno couldn't see anything obviously wrong with Capper, but she knew there had to be something, or else he wouldn't have yelped like that. And once Verko had pulled Capper to his feet Celaeno could see that he was extremely unsteady, as though he could fall at any moment, and he probably would have if Capper hadn't put his paw against the wall to support him.

When Verko had said that he had made sure that Capper wouldn't try to run away from him again, Celaeno had assumed that he had done something that would make it difficult for him to walk. Now that she could see him for herself, Celaeno was horrified to realize that Verko hadn't just made it difficult for Capper to walk, he had made it difficult for him to _stand._

What had that monster done to him?

"I told you to _get over there!"_ Verko shouted as he gave Capper a push. It wasn't a particularly harsh one, but it was apparently enough to send Capper sprawling right back down to the ground.

Up until that point Capper had been facing towards Celaeno and the others, even if he hadn't looked up at them once. Even when he had been curled up on the ground he had still been facing them. Once Capper had fallen, Celaeno was able to get a clear look of his back, and just a single glance made her feel sick and horrified. His back and legs were all bloody. Celaeno could see the one and only injury bright as day, but even though it was bleeding a fair bit, that by itself wasn't what made it bad. What really disturbed Celaeno was what she _couldn't_ see.

"You...You cut off his tail?!" Celaeno reached for her sword. She didn't draw it, but she was looking for any reason to do so. If Verko said just one more word that she didn't like, if he even _looked_ at anyone in her crew in the wrong way, he would _pay_ for it.

"An unfortunate necessity, Captain." Verko said easily. "If you still want him, I have no doubt that he'll fit in with the rest of your crew." Verko began laughing cruely. Of course he would find it funny that he was planning on selling Capper, who was now tailless, to a crew of pirates, all of whom had one body part or another missing. Celaeno didn't find the situation funny at all.

"We still want him." Celaeno growled. She nodded at Mullet and Boyle, who were all too eager to go get Capper. They took care to not irritate the area around Capper's new stub as they gently pulled him to his feet and supported him between the two of them. "The treasure's all back on our ship, so if we're done here-"

"Actually, I may have one more thing you may be interested in." Verko said, even though his sickeningly sly tone suggested that whatever he had to say, it was something that she would rather not hear. "A little birdie told me that you've lost some members of your crew and are looking for information about them."

News really did travel quickly in Klugetown. "And?" Celaeno was anxious to get out of there, but if Verko knew where she could find her crew…

"I mayhave some ideas of where you can begin looking." Verko said, his tone implying that he had more than just 'ideas'.

"How much do you want?" Celaeno asked cautiously. Something told her that she wouldn't like the answer.

"Not much." Verko assured her. "But I will say now that you wouldn't be able to afford it if you insist on buying the Abyssinian."

Celaeno felt like a black hole had opened up in her chest. Based Capper's sharp hitch of breath, she knew that he had realized the same thing that she had. Celaeno had a choice to make. She could get Capper back, or she could finally get answers on where the rest of her crew was. She couldn't have both.

 _This_ was why Celaeno hated Verko. Whatever choice she made, she would still lose something. The only thing she could do was decide which mattered more to her at that particular moment.

To Celaeno, it wasn't even a debate. The choice still hurt, but she didn't feel confliced about it. "We're taking Capper with us." Celaeno glared at Verko. She may have wanted to come to Klugetown for information, but Mullet had been right all along. They could still find their crew, even without Verko's help. Celaeno was still desperate to make sure that her crew was safe, but Capper was part of her crew as well. She wasn't going to choose one member of her crew over another.

"Very well." Verko sounded amused by her decision, though Celaeno suspected that he would have been amused no matter what she had said. "Now, about my money…"

"It's back on the ship." Celaeno repeated. She didn't want Verko anywhere near her ship or her crew, but the sooner she let him get his money, the sooner they would be able to get out of there. Celaeno had never cared for the city much in the first place, but after that day she never wanted to see the desert town again. The whole town, including all its citizens, and _especially_ Verko, could rot in the deepest pits of Tartarus for all she cared.


	6. Chapter 6

The crew had seen some pretty hard times, and Lix Spittle had been through it all right along with them. Other than Celaeno, Lix Spittle was the one who had been part of the crew the longest. She had been around to see dozens of creatures come and go, but one thing remained consistent. They weren't just a pirate crew. They weren't just teammates. They were a family, always had been, and always would be.

Lix Spittle had always loved how close the crew was. If something bad happened, and bad things seemed to happen frequently, there was always a number of people right there, waiting to offer support.

Of course, it worked the other way too. If something bad happened to _one_ crewmember, then they _all_ felt the pain from it. Celaeno had known this for years, and she had seen it in action a number of times, but she had never seen it as bad as _this._

If an outsider had come onto the ship, their first guess would have been that somebody had died. That was how low team morale was. At first Lix Spittle hadn't understood why everybody was so upset. Capper had gotten hurt, and it would take time and support for him to be able to recover both physically and mentally, but at least things weren't any worse.

At least they had gotten him back.

Everybody else on the crew behaved as though they had lost him, and with every hour that passed they seemed to be getting worse. It took some time, but Lix Spittle finally realized what was going on with the rest of the crew. They were feeling guilty, because each of them believed that what had happened had been _their_ fault.

Celaeno was the captain. She felt responsible for the entire crew. If something happened to one of them, she blamed herself. Her guilt was just worse this time around because it had been her decision to go to Klugetown. It didn't matter that there hadn't been much of a choice, Celaeno still shouldered the blame.

Mullet, on the other hand, felt more directly responsible. Celaeno had trusted him to keep an eye on both Capper and Squabble, and he had left them alone. None of them blamed him, but he blamed himself. There was no guarantee that Capper would have been safe even if he had stayed behind, but Mullet still couldn't shake those ' _what if_ ' thoughts.

Squabble didn't usually feel guilty about things, but when he got hit with regret, he got hit with it _hard._ Squabble had been the only one on the ship when Capper had been taken. He was also the one that Capper had risked his own safety to protect. Of _course_ Squabble felt bad.

Boyle was probably the only one of them who couldn't have done anything differently that would have changed what had happened, but he still felt guilty about it because that was just the kind of parrot he was. Boyle was the strongest of all of them, as well as the most sensitive. If any of them got hurt, he blamed himself, whether he should or not. He seemed to think that because he was strong it meant that he should be able to keep the crew safe at all times.

Lix Spittle didn't blame the rest of the crew for feeling this way, she just wished that they didn't beat themselves up about it so badly. The only person that should be blamed for what had happened to Capper was Verko. As far as Lix Spittle was concerned, everybody else was innocent. She knew that nothing that she could say would convince the others. The only one that they might listen to was Capper himself.

And that was another problem...a _major_ problem that Lix Spittle was beginning to really worry about.

It had been nearly three days since they had gotten Capper back. The very moment that they could, they had taken the airship away from Klugetown, with the promise to never return there again. They didn't have a set destination in mind, except to get as far away from the the thieves den as possible.

In that time, Lix Spittle had been doing what she could to help Capper recover, and physically things were going as well as could be expected. When they had been in Klugetown, Lix Spittle had been able to find food that Capper could handle eating. It had taken some effort, but Lix Spittle had been able to coax Capper into eating the food that she brought him. That food was able to give him the nutrients and energy that he needed to recover from what Verko had done to him.

Lix Spittle still felt a burning rage whenever she saw Capper's injury. She always hated it when somebody on the crew lost a limb. Injuries of any kind were terrible, but lost limbs seemed to be worse than anything, because once they were lost, in most cases, they weren't coming back. It always took time to adjust to, not to mention extremely painful.

Capper seemed to be healing well. The wound wasn't infected, and had stopped being reopened easily. Skin and fur was even starting to heal in over the wound. It was still extremely sensitive, but not nearly as bad as it had been. Physically, Capper would be just fine.

Lix Spittle just didn't know if she could say the same thing about his mental well-being.

Capper hadn't said a word to any of them since they had gotten him back. Not a single word. Capper had always been such a smooth talker, always interested in striking up a conversation, and yet for the past three days he had been completely silent. It wasn't like him, and Lix Spittle didn't know what she could do to fix things.

That didn't keep her from trying.

"You seem to be doing a lot better." Lix Spittle commented as she came in on her bi-daily check in on Capper. If she had it her way, she would have rarely left his side until she knew that he was completely better, but even without talking Capper had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be around anybody. He always grew tense whenever she entered the room, and didn't relax until after she had left. Lix Spittle didn't want to leave him on his own, but she still wanted to respect his privacy, so she had come up with this compromise. She knew that neither of them were completely happy with it, but it was better than nothing.

The first thing that Lix Spittle did when she came in to see Capper was to check his temperature. He'd had a pretty bad fever the day before, and she was relieved to find that it had broken in the last few hours. For the first time in the past three days, Capper didn't look like he was in pain. Lix Spittle wouldn't go so far as to say that he was comfortable, but at least he wasn't hurting.

"How are you feeling?" Lix Spittle asked for the sixth time in the past three days. She didn't get a response, which she had expected. It was still disappointing. "Is there anything you need? Food? Water?" Nothing. "Company?" Capper flinched. Well, at least she knew that he was listening to her.

Lix Spittle sighed and drew up a chair next to the bed. "Capper, I want to help, and so do the others." Capper grimaced and turned his head away from her. If it weren't for the fact that his back was still extremely sensitive, he likely would have turned away from her altogether. "Why does that bother you?"

"Don't." Lix Spittle was taken aback. This was the first word that she had heard Capper speak in days. Why now? What had caused him to be silent in the first place? And why now, out of all of her attempts at conversation, was her responding to her? What was different this time?

"No, Capper, I need you to tell me what's going on." Lix Spittle was tired of walking on eggshells around Capper. She wanted to help him, but she couldn't if he refused to open up to her. "Why don't you want us to help you?"

"...It's not that." Capper's voice was quiet, which certainly wasn't like him, but at least he was talking. "It's not that I don't want your help."

"Then what is it?" Lix Spittle kept her voice calm and accusatory. She was finally getting answers from Capper. The last thing she wanted was for him to shut up again because he felt like he was under attack.

Capper was quiet for a few minutes, and Lix Spittle thought that her question was just going to remain unanswered. He did eventually speak up though, and his words shook her. "I just don't understand why y'all would waste your time like this."

"It's not a waste of time." Lix Spittle said fiercely. "This crew is a family. Family helps each other. It's never a waste."

"I'm not…" Capper growled and became so tense that Lix Spittle suspected that his claws were tearing right through the bedsheets.

"You _are."_ Lix Spittle insisted. She had thought that Capper had already learned and accepted this. Why was he suddenly protesting so much? "You're a member of this crew, which means that you're a member of this _family."_

"So are the others." Capper's tone was stiff, emotionless. It scared her. "The ones that are missing."

Lix Spittle sighed. So _that_ was what it was about. "It's not your fault." Lix Spittle had heard Celaeno rant and cry about the decision that Verko had forced her to make. Save Capper, or get information about where the rest of their crew might be. Lix Spittle had known that Capper had been there when the offer had been made, but she hadn't actually considered that he had heard it.

"Celaeno wasn't going to give you up to get the others back." Lix Spittle said. "That's not how family works."

"St-stop." Capper's fur bristled. "Stop _saying_ that."

"No, I won't stop saying it." Lix Spittle said. If Capper kept on fighting her on this, soon she would have to bring in the others. See if they could get through to him. "Not until you realize that I'm right."

"Why?" Capper lifted his head and slowly turned to look at her. Capper's eyes didn't have that familiar spark that Lix Spittle had come to know and love, but they weren't as dull as they had been these past few days. Capper's eyes were full of raw emotion. "I-I don't understand why."

Lix Spittle took one of Capper's paws in her talons. She felt him flinch, but he didn't try to pull away. "It's the same reason why you were willing to offer yourself up to protect Squabble. Because we care about you."

"I know that," Capper's voice cracked slightly. He closed his eyes. "I just don't understand _why."_ Unfortunately, this wasn't something that Lix Spittle could just explain. She and the others could do a few things to show Capper that he really was part of their family, but they couldn't force him to actually accept it.

"Whether you understand it or not, we all care about you, and we all _worry_ about you." Lix Spittle said. "The others haven't seen you in days, and they're starting to get anxious." Lix Spittle had all but forbidden the others from seeing Capper. All of them already had negative attitudes. She didn't need all of that negativeness to feed itself. "Why don't you come out on deck? The fresh air might do you good." It couldn't be healthy to one to stay cooped up in a cabin for so long.

Capper looked hesitant, but he didn't argue against her idea. Capper let Lix Spittle pull him up off the bed. They had to be slow and cautious so as to not irritate Capper's injury, but Lix Spittle was able to pull him up. The very moment that Capper was on his feet he started to fall forwards. Capper took a step in an attempt to regain his balance, but this only made it worse.

Capper fell to his knees, but he was able to catch himself with his upper paws. Lix Spittle's initial thought was that his legs were just weak from a few days of not being used, but when she saw Capper's frightened face and how he looked like he was about to be sick, she knew it was more than that.

"Something's wrong." Capper dug his claws into the floorboards. He looked so terrified, so vulnerable. "It's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Lix Spittle asked gently. Capper used the wall to support himself as he pulled himself to his feet again. Lix Spittle watched him carefully. His legs were sturdy without even the smallest sign of shaking. Whatever had made him fall, it was something else.

Capper looked completely off balance, even just standing there. He used the wall to support him until he could catch his bearings and adjust to whatever was throwing him off. Lix Spittle couldn't imagine what was wrong until she took a look at Capper's injury, to make sure that he wasn't irritating it, and she saw subtle twitches and movements in the muscles of the stub.

Capper was subconsciously trying to move his tail...because cats use their tails for balance.

"This may be a problem." Lix Spittle muttered. She put a talon on Capper's shoulder and carefully brought it up over her shoulder. She still thought that he needed to get out of the cabin, she just hoped that Capper didn't mind the assistance. It would take time for him to adjust to the loss of weight that came from his tail, and even more time for him to live without the very thing that kept him balanced. Lix Spittle would do what she could to help him, but there was only so much that she _could_ do.

Capper needed all the help and support that he could get. Lix Spittle still wanted the rest of the crew to get over their feelings of guilt, and maybe this wasn't the best way to make that happen, but she couldn't do this alone. Capper needed _all_ of them, and Lix Spittle didn't doubt that the rest of crew would do what they could to help, despite how responsible they felt for this mess.

Lix Spittle didn't know how they would get through this, but she _did_ know that it would be the same way that they got through everything that was thrown their way. Together.

As a crew.

As a family.

* * *

 **A/N: I would have liked to have a longer chapter, but if I forced myself to make it longer then this chapter would have taken more time and I would probably have just felt very unsatisfied with it. I feel okay with what I've written, and I'll just hope that I get more into the next chapter so it'll be longer and I'll just feel better about it in general.**


	7. Chapter 7

Boyle had his favorite parts of being a pirate. Specifically, the pirating. He loved nothing more than to find treasure, whether it be buried underground, at the bottom of the sea, or in a rich creature's collection room. Boyle didn't have a favorite kind of treasure, he loved finding all of it.

Boyle could just do any of that by being a regular old thief, there really wasn't much of a difference. He mostly enjoyed being part of the pirate crew because of, well, the crew. If he needed help with his thieving, which he did occasionally, then he had it. And most importantly, his brothers felt more comfortable around the crew, and whatever made his brothers happy made Boyle happy.

And the crew was pretty great.

When they had first joined the crew, Boyle hadn't felt too sure about the flying ship. He may be a bird, but like most Ornithians he wasn't the kind of bird that could fly. He had never been off the ground before. It didn't help that during their first few days with the crew, Boyle had gotten incredibly airsick. For a time, Boyle had thought that the airsickness would be too much and he wouldn't be able to handle being on the flying ship at all, let alone for days or even weeks at a time.

Fortunately, the airsickness had gotten better over time. Sometimes it still hit him during a particularly bad storm, but other than that he fared pretty well.

Once Boyle stopped getting sick, he warmed up to being on the ship a lot better. He actually came to like it quite a bit. He wasn't as much of a natural sailer as Mullet was, and he would never be as fascinated by the ship's mechanics as Squabble was, but there were plenty of things that Boyle liked about being on the ship.

His favorite part of sailing the skies was when they were up there during the clear, cloudless nights. Boyle loved nothing more than to stand on the deck of the ship and watch the countless stars up in the sky. There, high above everything else, there was nothing but sky for miles out in every direction. It was a beautiful sight, and absolutely incredible.

Because Boyle liked this view, and because he knew that Captain Celaeno and Mullet overworked themselves way too much, he often volunteered to man the ship during the night hours. Boyle didn't mind being behind the ship's wheel. Especially at night when everybody else was asleep.

Boyle was used to being out on deck on his own during the night. However, he could still handle having others out on deck with him. Sometimes, Squabble was still awake and keeping watch while up in the rigging. Every once and awhile, when Mullet had a hard time sleeping, he would come out and the two brothers would spend the night talking with each other.

Though having somebody out on deck with him while they were fast asleep...this would be a first for that.

Boyle looked over from the ship's wheel to see Capper leaning against the railing, sleeping. He had been cooped up into the cabin for far too long, so they had brought him out onto the deck. The weather was nice, so none of them saw the need to bring him back in. Capper didn't seem to be very comfortable, but Lix Spittle had assured them that he had been far worse when he had been left alone in the cabin.

Boyle didn't know how much he believed Lix Spittle though. It was kind of hard to believe that Capper was more comfortable on deck when he was still so tense that even in his sleep he looked like he was in pain.

Though, after watching Capper for a few moments, Boyle began to think that the pain that Capper was in was less physical discomfort and more mental distress. The signs were subtle, but in his sleep Capper's ears twitched and he looked fluffier than usual, which meant that his fur was standing on end. Every once and awhile Capper's hands and feet would twitch.

If Boyle had to take a guess, he would say that Capper was having a nightmare. It was extremely tempting to go down there and wake him up, as Boyle knew exactly what Capper was having a nightmare about, and he shouldn't have to deal with that fear all over again. Boyle resisted the temptation and stayed where he was.

In his own experience, both with his brother's nightmares and his own, sometimes it was best to just let the bad dreams run their course. They were unpleasant, and could ruin someone's mood for the rest of the day, but for the most part, they were harmless. From past experience, Boyle knew that if he woke Capper from his nightmare, he would likely be in a panicked state for a few minutes, at the very least. Capper might feel like he was still in danger, and his fight or flight instincts might kick in, and neither of those would be very good for his physical recovery.

If the nightmare got any worse, to the state where Capper may just injure himself if he was left asleep, Boyle would intervene. But unless that happened, Boyle would stay at the wheel of the ship and just wait for Capper to wake up naturally, at which point he would lend a listening ear.

For the next few minutes, Capper kept his eyes on the sky and his ears on his Abyssinian companion. Capper wasn't making that much noise, but as the night was silent and the ship itself made little noise, Boyle could hear the smallest sound that Capper made if he wanted to, and he did.

Capper's nightmare gradually seemed to be getting worse. His cries seemed to be getting more and more distressed, and when Boyle looked over towards Capper again he saw that he was shifting much more in his sleep than he had been before. Just as Boyle began to consider waking Capper up and putting an end to his nightmare, the Abyssinian's eyes flew open in alarm.

"Welcome back." Boyle called out. Capper looked around the deck of the ship in confusion for a moment before he turned his gaze towards Boyle. Capper still looked confused and upset, but he visibly relaxed when he saw his crewmate.

"...Boyle." Capper took in a shaky breath. "W-what are you doing out here?"

"Keeping watch." Boyle steadied the wheel and went down to join Capper on the deck. Their skyship would fly steady and straight for a few minutes without anybody behind the wheel. Boyle could take a break from it to make sure that Capper was okay. "It's a nice night out."

"Huh," Capper looked out to the clouds that they were passing. "I guess it is."

Boyle held out a hand to Capper and pulled him to his feet. Capper stumbled a little bit, but Boyle held him steady until he could find his balance.

"Thanks." Capper muttered. He took a hold of the railings to keep himself up and glared over them. "I hate feeling so weak." Boyle knew that he wasn't just talking about his struggle to adjust to living without his tail.

"Yeah," Boyle looked down at his hooked hand. "The nightmares will do that to you."

Capper looked up at him, an uncertain look in his eyes. Capper followed Boyle's gaze to his hook. "...What happened?"

Boyle clenched his good talon around the base of his hook. "Same thing that happened to you. We angered Verko."

"That monster." Capper growled, and Boyle wholeheartedly agreed. He had never met anybody as cruel and unforgiving as Verko was. "Do y'all still…" Capper trailed off, but Boyle knew what he was asking.

"Squabble and Mullet don't have nightmares about it." Boyle said. They had those first few weeks after the incident, but once the two of them had begun to mentally block out what had happened, the nightmares had stopped. "I get them every once and awhile" It was the burden of remembering everything that had happened.

Capper shifted uncomfortably. "Do they...get better?"

Boyle sighed and massaged the base of his hook. "It depends." Sometimes his nightmares about what had happened weren't any worse than any other nightmare he had. Sometimes the nightmares seemed to be worse than the actual event itself. These nightmares were so bad that even after he woke up Boyle would be filled with a crippling terror that stayed with him for hours after he had woken up. Those days were difficult to deal with, and not just for him. Boyle knew that Mullet was always scared for him whenever these days happened, and he always felt bad for worrying his brother.

"The day to day stuff gets easier though." Boyle said in an attempt to turn the conversation to a more cheerful mood. "Soon, you won't even remember what it was like to have a tail at all."

Capper looked at him strangely. "I don't know if that's a good thing or not." Boyle laughed.

"Yeah, me neither." Boyle forced his hand away from his hook, because he knew that if he kept it there it would be harder to drag away. It was ridiculous, how easy it was to get stuck in the past.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to get used to it." Capper looked back out over the railing of the ship. "I can barely stand on my own two feet."

"Yeah, you'll probably need help with that." Boyle knew that none of them would be able to provide much help beyond moral support. They needed to take Capper to somebody who knew what they were doing. "Would the other Abyssinians be able to help?"

Capper snickered. "Probably, but I wouldn't count on it." Capper's ears twitched irritably. "Because of the Storm King, the kingdom's broke. If we go to an Abyssinian for help, the price would be even loftier than it usually would be." That normally wouldn't be a problem, because, as pirates, they usually had some spare bits on hand. Of course, getting Capper back had cost them most everything they had.

If they were dealing with any other species, Boyle would suggest that they go there anyways and then just bail without paying. It wouldn't be the first time they had done something like this. The problem was that Abyssinians were naturally suspicious of Ornithians, and vice versa. Those cats would be watching their crew like a couple of predators, and it just wasn't worth it.

"Besides," Capper added. "Abyssinians are proud creatures in everything that they do, including how they look. You have no idea how horribly they treat other Abyssinians that have 'flawed' appearances. That includes, but isn't limited to, the absence of tails."

Boyle scowled. "Glad I'm not an Abyssinian." Ornithians were proud creatures as well. Many of them may brag about their feathers, but most of them wouldn't go as far as to shun those who didn't have as brilliant of appearances.

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't either." Capper said.

"Alright, so, where are we going to go?" Boyle asked. As far as he was concerned, it was entirely up to Capper where they went. He was the one who needed help, so if anybody deserved a say, it was him.

Capper was quiet for a few moments. "Maybe...you remember those little ponies that we helped?"

"How could I forget." Boy chuckled. Captain Celaeno was frequently talking about that Rainbow Dash pegasus. And even if she didn't, Boyle didn't think he would ever forget the ponies that had helped to get them out of the funk that they'd been under when they had worked for the Storm King.

"I remember one of those ponies, Fluttershy, I think he name was, mentioning that she was good with all sorts of creatures." Capper said.

"Is she a vet or something?" Boyle didn't know what else Capper could have meant by 'good with creatures', but he really doubted that the Abyssinian would want to see a vet of any kind.

"Not exactly. At least, I don't think so." Capper said. "She just said that she's good with creatures. I don't really know what she meant by that, but…"

"But you trust her." Boyle guessed. It wasn't hard to figure out.

"...Yes." Capper said hesitantly. "I think I do."

"Well, that's good enough for me." Boyle said. "So, we're going back to Equestria?"

"Yes, but not to the same place as last time." Capper said. "They live somewhere else."

"Well, then we'd better get there." Boyle made his way back to the wheel where a number of maps were laid out on the ground. They usually kept their maps in the cabins. Since they had been trying to decide what to do and where to go, they'd kept the maps to the area close on hand. Boyle grabbed one that had Equestria on it and brought it to Capper. "So, where do we find our pony friends?"

Capper looked at the map and pointed at a small town just off of Canterlot. "Ponyville. That's where they live."

"Ponyville?" Boyle snickered. "These ponies sure are original with their names."

"Do you know where we are?" Capper asked. Boyle knew that he had been studying these maps with Lix Spittle, but it was certainly difficult to keep ones bearings when they were flying so high up, especially when they had been flying in circles for the past few days.

As the one who had been doing much of the navigating, Boyle was well aware of their exact location. "We're just north of the desert." They hadn't wanted to go far until they had a final destination in mind. "We just need to keep going north."

"Sounds simple enough." Capper commented.

"Very simple." Boyle agreed. He put a hand on Capper's shoulder. "Are you ready to put your navigating skills to the test?"

Capper's head snapped up as he looked from the maps to Boyle. "You want _me_ to steer?"

"You know how to do it." Boyle said. He knew that Capper had been taught by Lix Spittle how to man the ship. Now was as good a time as any to put that knowledge to use.

"Why now?" Capper asked, and it was a good question.

"Because if you're anything like me after a nightmare, sleeping is the last thing on your mind." Boyle said. "It'll do you some good to get your mind on something else."

"I suppose you're right." Capper reluctantly agreed. Boyle held a firm grip on Capper's arm and helped to keep him balanced as they slowly made their way to the wheel.

Once they were within reach Capper grabbed the wheel and took a moment to steady himself. He took a deep breath. "So, north?"

"North." Boyle confirmed.

"Alright then," Capper said. "It looks like we're off to Ponyville."


	8. Chapter 8

Celaeno and her crew didn't usually spend extended time in a single town. They usually stopped just long enough to pick up what they needed, and then they were gone. They weren't domesticated birds. The only home that any of them had ever truly known was the sky. Celaeno and her crew always felt anxious when they were in one place for too long.

Sometimes though, they really didn't have much of a choice. If the ship needed repairs, there wasn't really anywhere they could go. Worse than that though were the times when somebody on the crew was injured and they needed help or treatment that they just couldn't supply on the ship.

It didn't happen very happen, but it was always unnerving when it did. None of them liked it when one of them was hurt. And none of them liked to have to rely on somebody else, especially not with the well-being of one of their own. If they had to trust somebody though, Celaeno supposed that Rainbow Dash and her friends wouldn't be all that bad.

Although, none of them were looking forward to being among the ponies again. Celaeno knew that Rainbow Dash would be excited to see them again, but she had no way of knowing what any of the other ponies would think. They hadn't exactly been the most welcoming in Canterlot, and that had been just after they'd helped save the kingdom from the Storm King's reign. Then again, Ponyville was so much smaller and less posh than Canterlot had been, so the ponies here might not be as stuck up of snobs as the other ponies had been.

Really, there was no way of knowing until she had seen it for herself, so Celaeno made her way into the town in search of her pony friend. Most of her crew stayed on the ship, but Squabble insisted on joining her. He really enjoyed adventures and meeting new creatures. Sometimes the town they were in was too shady for somebody like Squabble. Celaeno and Mullet didn't want him to stumble upon a situation that might be dangerous, so they were maybe a little overprotective about what towns they let him wander around in.

Usually Celaeno didn't let Squabble come out into any town that they weren't already familiar with, but Celaeno had the feeling that Squabble would be safe in a place called Ponyville. After all, what could a couple of innocent little ponies do to them, besides be ignorant of their species?

Ponyville was a lot smaller than Canterlot was. There was no place to land an airship, so they had just landed in a clearing just outside of the town. This immediately caught the attention of some curious ponies who had been walking nearby. The ponies had been cautious at first, but when Celaeno had asked them if they knew where she could find Rainbow Dash, they had immediately relaxed and given her directions to the 'School of Friendship'.

...yep, they were in Equestria all right.

Celaeno was sure that even without the directions she would have been able to find the school just fine on her own. Celaeno had never gone to school herself, but she had seen some around during her travels, and, and this 'School of Friendship' was only slightly smaller than most any other specialty school was, which meant that it was still massive. In a town as small as Ponyville, such a school stood out like a sore claw.

With Squabble very helpfully pointing out where the school was (he was really good at spotting things), Celaeno and her crewmate were soon able to find their way to the school, which looked so much more fancy and friendly than it had any right to be. Just what kind of school was this?

About two seconds after Celaeno and Squabble walked through the doors they realized that the school was _exactly_ what it claimed to be. A school that was meant to teach young ones about the power of friendship. Celaeno had always known that ponies were more friendly than most creatures were, but she never could have expected that she would see a group of them very seriously discussing an essay that they had to write for 'Honesty 101.'

Ponies were such strange creatures.

"Alright, now, where are we supposed to find Rainbow Dash?" Celaeno muttered to herself. She knew that they were actually there to ask another pony, Fluttershy, for help, but Celaeno couldn't really remember what Rainbow Dash's friends had looked like. She had a basic idea, but looking into this crowd of young ponies, Celaeno knew that she could easily mistake one of them for the ponies that they had helped out before.

The best way to go about doing this was to just find Rainbow Dash, who Celaeno knew she would be able to recognize in an instant, and ask her where her friend, Fluttershy was. That way, there would be no confusion...and Celaeno was really looking forward to seeing her bold pony friend again.

As Celaeno tried to figure out where they should begin to look for Rainbow Dash in this massive school, Squabble decided to just take the direct approach. Celaeno had only taken her eyes off of Squabble for a few moments, but when she looked again she saw that he was no longer by her side, but approaching a small study group.

"Squabble!" Celaeno hurried to grab her crewmate. "You know you're not supposed to wander off like that." Squabble may not have gotten far, but there had been a number of times where they had lost him for a few hours just because one of them had taken their eyes off of him for just a few seconds. Squabble could move really quickly when he wanted to, and while that made him very useful in an escape, it also just about gave Mullet a heart attack any time it happened. If Celaeno lost Squabble, her first mate never would have forgiven her.

Squabble squawked at her and gestured to the students.

"Well...yes, we probably could just ask for help." Celaeno admitted. "But you can't just go up to random...creatures." Celaeno had to change what she was saying when she saw that it wasn't just ponies in the group. There was one young pony, but also a hippogriff, a griffin, and a...changeling? Celaeno had heard about how the changelings had permanently changed their entire lifestyle and their looks, but she had never seen one in its new form before.

"Why not? The griffin asked in a slightly bored, slightly judgemental tone. "What do you guys need?" His tone didn't sound very friendly, but he also sounded sincere. Celaeno wondered if this was just as close to friendly as griffins got.

Squabble spoke up before Celaeno could answer. He screeched and gestured wildly, which concerned Celaeno slightly. Sure, _she_ could understand what he was saying, he was just asking where they could find Rainbow Dash, but she highly doubted that any of these kids would know what his squawks meant. If any one of those kids did anything to mock Squabble…

"Professor Egghead?" The griffin nodded as his friends just looked at him in confusion. "Yeah, I know where she is. We were just about to go to her class. You guys can join us if you want."

"Hang on," Celaeno held up a talon to make the young ones stop before they could be on their way. "You mean Rainbow Dash? She's your _teacher?"_ Celaeno had not expected the bold blue pony to involve herself in the education of young creatures. It just didn't suit her.

"Yeah, she's probably the coolest teacher we have." The griffin nodded before he narrowed his eyes and pointed a talon at them. "Just don't tell her I said that." With that being said, the griffin and his friends made their way to class, with Celaeno and Squabble close behind them.

As they went, Squabble was quick to point out to Celaeno that he had been right and she should have listened to him when he said that they should ask for help. He seemed to find it funny that _he_ was the one who had gotten the information that they had needed. Celaeno didn't find it funny, but she did find it very interesting.

"How could you understand Squabble?" Celaeno asked. She had only ever met other Ornithians who could understand his squawks. Not many other creatures bothered to learn the language of the birds.

The griffin looked back at her in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Hello?" He spread his wings and flapped them proudly. "Part eagle here. We griffins know the old bird language too."

The hippogriff gasped dramatically. "You can talk to birds?!" She all but flew into her friend's face, making him stop in his tracks and lean away from her.

"No." The griffin used one of his wings to push her aside. "I can just understand other bird like creatures. Big difference." The griffin continued on his way before his friend could interrogate him anymore.

A few minutes later they reached their destination. The students went into their classroom, and when Celaeno saw the teacher that was waiting for them, she followed them right in.

"You never really struck me as the professor type, Rainbow Dash" Celaeno commented. She smirked when she saw the way that her friend froze up at her words. "Guess I was all wrong about you."

"Celaeno?" Rainbow Dash stood shocked for a moment before she grinned broadly and excitedly flew to greet her. "What are you doing here? I thought you guys would be out plundering the world of all its treasures?"

"We've been doing some plundering." Celaeno promised. What kind of pirates would they be if they hadn't? "We've just run into a bit of trouble, so we've had to put everything on hold for awhile."

"Trouble?" Rainbow Dash's excited grin dimmed slightly. "What happened?"

"A lot." Celaeno sighed and ran a talon through the feathers at the top of her head. "We need some help from you ponies again." And this wasn't an easy thing for her to admit.

"Hey, whatever you need, I'm here to help you." Rainbow Dash said, and Celaeno knew that she meant every word. Ponies were such sincere creatures. Maybe not all of them were, but all of the ones that Celaeno had met certainly were.

"Actually, right now I need to talk to your friend, Fluttershy." Celaeno really hoped that she didn't mess up the name. "She's the one that's good with creatures, right?"

"...Yeah?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head slightly, looking confused. "Why do you need her?"

"It's a long story." Celaeno glanced at Rainbow Dash's students, who had been watching their conversation with fascination and curiosity. It wasn't that Celaeno didn't trust them, but she didn't want to go around telling a couple of little strangers about her crew's troubles. "But I'll tell you later."

"You'd better." Rainbow Dash warned before she turned to address her students. "Alright, who here is ready for a field trip to Professor Fluttershy's classroom?" All of the students happily agreed. Celaeno wondered if they all just really liked Fluttershy, or if they just really wanted to get out of the classroom that they'd only been in for a minute or two.

Rainbow Dash lead their group back out into the hallway, which was much less crowded than it had been just a few moments ago, as class had started. Celaeno was glad that they were traveling in a group, and Rainbow Dash seemed to know where they were going, because all of these hallways looked the same to her. Celaeno was sure that if she was here on her own, she would have gotten lost before she had even gone anywhere.

After a few minutes of walking around the hallways of the school, Rainbow Dash stopped in front of a door that looked just like any other in the hallway. She knocked on the door with her hoof, but then let herself in before she could get an answer.

"Hey, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash flew over to her friend, who stopped in the middle of what she had been saying. Celaeno briefly felt bad about interrupting a lesson, but by the looks of things the students were supposed to be learning about the different advantages and uses of several species of insects. As interesting a lesson as that sounded, Celaeno thought that Capper's wellbeing was more important. "You got a minute?

"It's going to take more than a minute." Celaeno said honestly. "But I really need your help."

"Um," Fluttershy looked towards her students and seemed to be hesitant. Rainbow Dash quickly caught on to what the problem was.

"I'll watch your class for you." Rainbow Dash volunteered. "We'll just make it a joined lesson."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy lowered her head slightly. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and gave Fluttershy a gentle push towards the door.

"Of course I'm sure." Rainbow Dash insisted. "If our friends need your help, then I'm more than happy to do what I can to make it easier for you to help. Just as long as I get the full story later." Rainbow Dash glared slightly at Celaeno to make sure she understood.

"Count on it." Celaeno swore. Rainbow Dash nodded and turned her attention to all of the students, none of whom were all that interested in learning anymore. Celaeno didn't envy Rainbow Dash's job, but she couldn't worry about it. She had to get Capper the help that he needed. As Rainbow Dash began the lesson, Fluttershy, Celaeno, and Squabble slipped back into the hallway to talk.

Celaeno didn't know exactly what Fluttershy would do to help Capper, or what she needed to know beforehand, so she just told the pony the whole story. She tried her best to tell Fluttershy what she needed to know without going too far into details, because she didn't want to upset the pony. Celaeno didn't know everything about the ponies, but Fluttershy had always struck her as extremely sensitive.

Apparently Fluttershy could handle more than she looked like she could, because she asked Celaeno for details and clarification. She did seem upset and concerned, but also serious about the situation.

"So Capper has been having a hard time balancing without his tail?" Fluttershy asked.

"He can't even stand without something to support him." Celaeno said. "I don't know if this qualifies as something you would know about, but you're the only person we could think of that could help that Capper would be comfortable around."

"I'll certainly try." Fluttershy said, and while she didn't sound completely confident in her abilities, she didn't seem to be entirely unsure either. "Where is Capper?"

"Back on the ship." Celaeno said. "We thought it would be a little hard to drag him all the way here."

Fluttershy nodded. "Let's go." Celaeno was relieved at the pony's willingness to help. These ponies really were far more kind and generous than most any other species Celaeno had met. She still wasn't sure how much Fluttershy, or any of the ponies, could do for Capper, but at least they had a willingness to try, and at that moment, it was the best bet they had.

Celaeno just hoped that it would be enough.


End file.
